Soulless Caress
by The Raider
Summary: AU. Tara is turned into a vampire, and as Willow tries to find a way to restore her soul, she begins to wonder if it's possible for a vampire to love someone without one. Can the two of them survive the new dangers that threaten their relationship? CANCELED! GOING TO REWRITE!
1. Prologue: Heat

**What is with me and our beloved characters being turned into vampires? :p Well, even I can't answer that. The idea for this popped into my mind after I saw the episode of Supernatural where Amber Benson (Tara) played a vampire. So, seeing that, my imagination kicked in, and I thought 'What if Tara was turned into a vampire?' Well, this is the result.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or any of the characters from the show. They belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.**

* * *

**Prologue**

As she pushed open the door to the Mansion, Willow was careful not to let any ray of sunlight into the main room of the mansion. From somewhere deeper inside the sprawling structure, she could hear chains rattling slightly as the sole occupant inside heard her approaching. As the door shut behind her with a loud bang, the red-head clutched the brown bag in her hand even tighter as her eyes struggled to adjust to the dim lighting. The atmosphere was very different from when Angel had occupied the building only a few years earlier.

_"So…hungry…"_ Turning her head as she heard the voice sound out in the silence, the Witch looked down at the vampire still trying to push herself into the wall behind her. Her slightly dirty brown hair hung around her face, and as more whimpers of hunger escaped from her lips, the red-head crouched down and offered the brown bag to the vampire.

"Tara, here, I brought you blood." She said, a slight pang of fear running through her heart as she saw the vampire's gaze lift up to her. Willow could see the hunger that lined every corner of the girl's expression, and as she held the bag just out of the demon's reach, she waited for a simple nod of understanding.

"_Blood_…" The dead-girl answered, her hands shooting out for the bag the Witch had laid down beside her.

"Just feed, you need to. It'll help you think." Her gaze never once flinching, the red-head watched as the vampire bit into the bag filled with blood, her face having changed into that of its true form within seconds. Inside her chest, the Witch felt her heart wanting to break as she watched Tara continue to feed on the blood bag. She was dead, and there was truly nothing that she could do about it. Her thoughts and instincts taking control of her body, Willow reached out and let her fingers trace the edge of the vampire's face. Tara's skin was cool to the touch underneath her fingertips, and as she reached the first strand of the vampire's hair, the Witch pushed it away and tucked it behind the girl's ear, exposing the white skin underneath. The minutes passed by, and as the bag in the vampire's hands finally was empty, Willow felt something in the air around her dead lover change.

"Willow?" Blinking once or twice as she was shaken out of her thoughts, the red-head saw the girl's face change back into its human guise.

"I'm here." She answered, smiling slightly as she felt the girl lean into her fingers. Now that the vampire's hunger had been satisfied, if only for a moment, she could think properly.

"I missed you." Returning the smile, Tara looked into Willow's hazel eyes as she continued to lean into the red-head's fingers. As she searched every inch of the vampire's blue eyes, the Witch frowned as she saw the certain emptiness inside them. It didn't take much to notice the lack of warmth that had once been common place they had once held, replaced with a certain coldness that only someone who was dead could have.

"You're so warm." The vampire continued to press her cheek into the Witch's fingers as her right hand grabbed Willow's remaining one. As she entwined her fingers with the Witch's in order to feel more warmth from her love, Tara sighed with an exaggerated breath.

"Tara…" Willow said, her mind telling her that she needed to back away, that the demon in front of her wasn't truly the woman she loved. And yet, her body refused to respond to her commands, and she found herself enjoying the feeling of the vampire pressing her cheek into her fingers. The vampire still held every one of Tara's individual features, making it even harder to resist what she was doing.

"It's alright, you don't have to speak." The vampire said, her fingers cold against Willow's warm skin. Moving her free hand up to the red-head's cheek, Tara almost smiled as she felt the Witch tremble underneath her touch. "Just feel."

As she turned her head towards the red-head, the vampire pressed her lips against Willow's, her tongue exploring every inch of the girl's mouth. As the Witch shuttered underneath the vampire's cold touch, her mind continued to tell her to back away. Inside her chest, her heart continued to beat faster and faster as a mixture of arousal and adrenaline poured through her veins. As she broke the kiss for a moment, Tara stared into the girl's hazel eyes.

"Undo the shackles." She ordered, the words leaving her lips only mere inches from the other girl's mouth. "Please."

"Tara, I can't. You're not you anymore. You'll…you'll hurt people."

"Please, I won't, just undo them. They hurt." Repressing the urge to smile, the vampire watched as the Witch slowly unlocked the shackles that lay locked around her wrists. As the cold metal fell to the floor with a clang, the sound echoed through her corner of the Mansion. Her hands and body free, the vampire resumed her assault on Willow's mouth. Letting Tara's hands glide over her cheeks, the Witch's body continued to refuse to move away from the vampire, her mind lost in the sensations of ecstasy that swirled through her body. As her tongue met Tara's in response to the vampire's continued exploration of her moth, the red-headed Witch let her hand drift up to the other girl's hair, her finger tips tracing over each individual strand.

"Tara.." She managed to say with the vampire's tongue still partially embedded in her mouth. Smiling as she retracted her tongue fully back into her mouth, the vampire pressed her index finger against the girl's lips, preventing her from saying another word.

"Just let me do all the work, you'll enjoy this." She breathed heavily into the girl's ear, the effect somewhat strange as Willow remembered that the blonde wasn't breathing. "I promise."

"Tara, please…" Pulling back again, the vampire frowned at the Witch.

"It's because of the whole not breathing thing, isn't it? I'm smothering you." She said, the smile returning to her face. "I can fix that, take it slow for you." As she pressed her lips against the red-head's again, Tara felt the girl start to move away, her body finally beginning to respond. Pushing herself back onto her feet, the vampire grabbed the Witch's arms and looked at her, the action making shivers run down Willow's spine.

"Willow, honey, what's wrong?" She asked, noticing the tears beginning to well up in the Witch's eyes.

"Tara, oh god, you're dead. You're really dead." Pulling the girl towards her, the vampire released her grip on Willow's right arm, and used it to stroke her hair, trying to make the red-head calm down.

"_Sssshhh_, it's alright, I feel good. It's like there's a constant energy running through me."

"But it's not you." Narrowing her eyes, Tara felt the girl shaking underneath her grip. Raising the red-head's chin, she locked eyes with her.

"Because I don't have a soul?"

"Let me give you one, please." As a single tear escaped and fell down her cheek, Willow almost flinched as the vampire wiped it away using her thumb. Unable to prevent herself from leaning into the vampire's grip, she was surprised to find the gesture to be gentle and full of love.

"But I'm fine. Would I hurt you?" Tilting her head, the vampire smiled at her lover. "Let me answer that for you. _No_."

"Tara…"

"Let me show how gentle I can be. Please, let me show you how much I love you." As she listened to Tara, Willow could hear her mind screaming 'no', but as she felt the vampire's thumb continue to caress, she heard her voice say 'yes'. Kissing her once on the cheek, the vampire led the red-head towards the couch that sat in the center of the room. A blanket of dust covered much of the furniture that remained in the mansion, some of it having obviously seen better days. Towards the center of the wall, the unlit fire place was a silent witness to the events that had happened within its sight.

As she let the vampire gently push her down onto the couch, Willow felt Tara's lips brush against her own as the vampire again resumed the kiss. Closing her eyes, she let the vampire continue to kiss her, the dead girl's fingers pushing various strands of red hair out of the Witch's eyes. As Tara broke the kiss, Willow felt the girl's teeth gently nip at the lope of her ear, the sensation that came from making her shutter and groan in pleasure. Smiling as she felt and heard the Witch's reaction to her attention, the vampire grinned as she ran her finger tips along the other girl's shoulders.

"You're getting cold." She said, almost chuckling as she heard the Witch whimper as Tara cut all physical contact with her by getting back onto her own feet.

"I'm fine." There was a certain lust in the red-head's voice now, and the vampire took note of it immediately. Already knowing that what Willow was saying was a complete and utter lie, Tara kissed her on the forehead and smiled at her.

"Let me start a fire, and then we'll warm you up." As she made her way to the fireplace, the vampire found herself humming as she felt waves of happiness flow through her. Behind her, she could almost feel Willow's body and mind begging for her attention once more. Vampire or not, the Witch still loved her, wanted to feel her touch and caress more than anything else in the world. Tossing the few slightly rotten logs into the fireplace, Tara grabbed the box of matches that lay atop the stone-works, and after striking a match, threw the object into the fire. As the wood began to burn, the vampire returned to the girl who sat waiting for her on the couch.

"Now, just relax. I'll make you feel better. You've had a big couple days, haven't you?" She said, swinging her legs over the red-head's knees, and resting her forehead against the other girl's. "I'll be gentle."

"Ok." The word came out as nothing more than a whisper as Willow let the vampire's tongue find its way back into her mouth. As she ran her hands through the red-head's hair, Tara could feel Willow's hands carefully making their way up the back of her shirt. Her hands tracing her lover's hair, the vampire let her hands work their way down, her fingers helping the red-head slip out of her jacket. Breaking the kiss of a moment in order to let the girl catch her breath, Tara pulled the slightly dirty shirt off of her body and tossed it to the floor.

"Better?" She asked, receiving only a nod from the Witch before their lips locked again. As their bodies fell sideways onto the floor, the flames from the fire began to send waves of heat swirling throughout the entire house, heating the rooms that had remained cold for much too long. Pressing her tongue deeper into Willow's mouth, Tara closed her eyes as felt the heat wave pass over her otherwise cold body.

"You're warm again."


	2. Lies And Blood

**JustJane18 and Kingdomalith, thanks for the reviews! :) They mean alot, considering that this is my first really big W/T story that I've ever tried to write.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or any of the other characters. They belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

As she laid her hand against the vampire's stomach, Willow could feel Tara's fingers gliding through her hair, the sensation of the vampire's fingertips touching each strand sending waves of calm emotions soaring through her senses. Sighing, she pressed herself fully against the vampire's side, the fire still roaring only a few feet away as it continued to heat the Mansion. Her eyes closed, the Witch felt a sense of calm that she had only known in the other girl's arms.

"You're so warm." Tara purred, her fingertips still tracing the strands of Willow's red-hair.

"You keep saying that." Willow answered, chuckling slightly as the vampire's fingers drifted down to her shoulders, her fingertips tracing invisible patterns into the Witch's back.

"Because I'm cold. I'm dead, Willow, and I'm cold inside." As the words left the vampire's lips, the Witch could hear the tone of sadness that carried through them. "And you make me feel warm."

"Tara, I'm...I'm sorry." The red-head said, her voice escaping from her lips as a mere whisper. Tilting her head in order to properly look at the girl's face, the vampire perked up her eyebrow.

"For what?"

"You died...because I couldn't act fast enough." A wet tear drop dripped down her cheek and onto the vampire's otherwise cold stomach. "If I had said the spell faster, you wouldn't have gotten bit."

* * *

_As they walked along the side-walk, the two lovers clung to each other as the chill in the night air continued to grow colder. The night sky above them was cluttered with stars as far as the eye could see, illuminating the sky better than any streetlight could. The sound of their footsteps echoing up to their ears, Willow and Tara felt secure as they continued on the path to the dorm room that they had recently decided to share. _

_"Are you cold?" The brunette asked, her recently dyed hair sticking out against the whiteness of her skin. Her eyes meeting that of her love, Willow smiled._

_"Not when I'm with you." _

_"Willow Rosenberg, are you trying to seduce me?" The other girl asked, giving the red-head a sly smile in the process. _

_"Maybe..." Giving the brunette a sheepish grin as they continued to walk, Willow felt completely at peace, despite the evil that surrounded them in Sunnydale. "Are you feeling like you're being seduced?"_

"_Possibly, I'm somewhat liking it though." As they arrived at the entrance to the dorm, the two girls smiled at each other, the light hanging on the doorway illuminating their faces._

"_Well, I guess I'm doing something right then." Leaning in to kiss the girl in front of her in response to her answer, Tara closed her eyes, her mind lost in the anticipation of the kiss that was only seconds away from happening._

"_Ow!" She cried out suddenly, opening her eyes as a sharp pain rang out through her throat, followed by a warmth the likes of which she had hardly ever know before. Looking at the girl in front of her, Tara could see the shock flooding into her eyes._

"_Tara!" Willow cried out, trying to take a step forward as she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist and pull her away from the brunette. As she heard the distinctive sound of a growl emit from a mouth behind her, she knew instantly and without a shred of doubt what they were dealing with. _

"_Go on, keep struggling, makes it more enjoyable for me." The vampire sneered behind her, his fangs brushing against her neck. _

"Incente!" _Willow nearly screamed, her heart continuing to race as the vampire holding her became engulfed in pure flame. His grip releasing her, the Witch spared no second in watching the Demon become consumed by the flames, her sole attention on the vampire still feeding on Tara. Holding out her hand, she repeated the spell, rushing over to the other girl before the flames had even begun to erupt over the remaining vampire's body. As she fell to the ground, Tara closed her eyes, the bite mark on her neck still bleeding slightly. She felt something in her mouth that tasted vaguely like something made of copper, and she swallowed it without thinking, wanting to get the taste off of her tongue. _

"_Tara?! TARA?!" As he propped the other girl's head up onto her knees, Willow pressed her hand against the wound on the brunette's neck, the blood staining her palm and fingers. "Come on, Tara, baby, please answer me!" _

"_Willow?" Her voice sounded weak as she pressed it out of her mouth. Her eyes still closed, Tara felt a certain aching in her heart as its beat continued to slow more and more with each passing second. _

"_Tara, oh Goddess, please, just stay with me, you're going to be ok." The more she tried to listen, Tara could hear the other girl's voice slipping away, the sound of it echoing more and more as the darkness began to wrap around her senses like a warm blanket. She felt at peace, and she tried to remember something that she knew she had known a moment ago, but the thought slipped away into the blackness. _

"_Tara?!" Through her bloodied palm, Willow couldn't sense a pulse anymore, her mind racing to find the girl's heart-beat. Trying every method she could think of, each place on Tara's body refused to emit a pulse. Pressing her head against the girl's chest, the red-head couldn't hear the rhythmic 'thump, thump' that should have been audible above the girl's heart. Inside her chest, the Witch felt her own heart skip a few beats as her body began to summon the tears that would flow down her cheek within seconds. _

"_Tara, please, don't do this to me." Already crying, she leaned down and kissed the dead girl's lips, a copper taste sticking to her own as she pulled back, having noticed the taste. Putting her unstained fingertip up to her lips, she again felt her heart skip a few beats once she saw the red color that lay on her finger._

"_Oh no." _

* * *

"Sssshhh, it's ok now, you can stop crying." Tara said, continuing to comfort the crying girl that held onto her as if she would disappear. Her hand stroking the girl's red-hair, the vampire smiled with amusement as the Witch merely held onto her tighter. In many regards, she was like a child, clinging to its mother in the throes of fright.

"Tara, what are we going to do?"

"Well, I thought maybe I could kiss you again, and we can work our way down…" Grinning slyly, the vampire's finger tips slowly creped down the other girl's back.

"No, I mean, what are we going to tell Buffy or Dawnie?"

"I don't think we need to tell them anything." As her fingertips reached the small of the red-head's back, Tara grinned as she felt the girl shutter underneath her careful and cool touch.

"They're going to notice that you're not around. Tare-bear, you _live_ with me, it's not like they're going to just not notice you're gone."

"So, we say that there was some family matter that I had to take care. Say my father died or something, and I went to the funeral."

"You want me to _lie?"_

"Of course, that's not a problem, is it?" Her hand still creeping lower and lower, the vampire frowned as she felt Willow move away from her grip slightly.

"It kinda is, Tara, how are I going to explain this? You're a vampire, and I…I…"

"You what?" The vampire pressed, her eyes locking with the red-head's. "You're afraid the _Slayer _will find out about me?" Nearly spitting the word _Slayer, _Tara growled slightly in a low volume.

"Tara, please, I already lost you once, I don't want to again." The look on her girlfriend's face beginning to scare her, Willow backed away slowly, her body hindered by the red-sheets that surrounded herself and Tara.

"And you won't. _Don't. Tell. Them. The. Truth_." As if realizing the effect she was having on the other girl, the vampire closed her eyes, and when she reopened them, the look of anger was gone, replaced with the same sly smile she had been wearing earlier. "Please?"

"I…ok." Her voice escaping as a barely formed jumble, the Witch felt the vampire's cold fingers trace the edge of her cheek.

"Good girl."

* * *

"Hey, Wills. Sleepy?" As she entered the kitchen, Buffy tapped the sleeping girl lightly on the head, the action making the other girl's head shoot straight up as her head was shaken out of the sleeping state it had fallen into.

"Wha-?" She said, her mind struggling to process her surroundings.

"You sleepy? You were blacking out there." As she grabbed a bowel out of the cupboard, the Slayer returned to the table and began to pour some of the cereal that Willow had been eating into her bowl. "Guess Tara kept you up all night?"

"Um…yeah. Me and Tara."

"You ok? You look a little off." The blonde asked, shoving a spoon into her mouth as she dived into the bowl of cereal. "You're not getting sick, are you?"

"No, no, I'm fine. Just tired."

"I don't blame you. You came in at a really late hour last night. Dawnie was afraid you weren't going to show up at all." Rubbing her eyes, Willow felt both sore and exhausted, images of Tara continuing to float about in her brain. Her hair just barely covered the small love bites on her throat, and she had decided to wear a sweater in order to properly hide the marks.

"Well, here I am. Tired and sore to boot."

"Why are you…oh, nevermind." Buffy said, realizing the reason for the other girl's choice of words. "Forget I said anything."

"I'm gonna go upstairs and sleep." Pushing herself away from the table, the Witch exited the room, her mind begging her for sleep. Turning the corner, she was barely able to push her body up the stairs, and as she walked into the bedroom, she almost collapsed onto the bed. As she pulled the pillow to her head, she closed her eyes, her mind silently thanking her.

The room was darkened, with the curtains having been drawn, causing the room to be engulfed in pure and utter darkness. In many ways, it reminded her of how the Mansion had been the night she had brought Tara to it, after being sure that the vampire had made her swallow some of its blood…Tara. Just thinking about the vampire made her heart ache, the mere thought that someone she cared so deeply about had fallen victim to the Demons that inhabited the Hellmouth enough to make her want to close her eyes and make it go away.

Sighing, the Witch gave into her mind's desire for rest, and she let the calm of sleep overtake her.

* * *

"Tara?" She shouted out, shutting the door behind her as the sound of an owl sounded out in the night air from the outside. Her voice echoing back to her, Willow took a few cautious steps into the main room of the Mansion, noticing that the fireplace was already lit, causing the room to feel just as warm as the house had been.

"I'm here." Hearing the vampire's voice, the Witch turned her head in order to see where the other girl was standing. And yet, everything around her was either shadows or illuminated by the flames burning in the fireplace.

"Tara?" Taking a few more steps into the room, she set her back-pack down onto the couch that they had fallen off of last night, the cushions still remaining where they had landed.

"Right here." As the girl's voice sounded out in her ear, the red-head jumped, her heart-beat increasing for a moment as the shock of being scared flew through her body. Her eyes flying to the person that had startled her, she felt a mixture of anger and shock that the vampire had been able to sneak up on her.

"Goddess, don't do that to me. You almost scared me to death."

"Sorry, I wanted to surprise you." As she looked at the other girl, Tara couldn't help but hear the healthy heart beating inside her girlfriend's chest. She could hear the blood rushing through the red-head's veins, the sound making her mouth water as she thought about the rich taste that it might have.

"Tara, what are you doing?" The red-head said, continuing to back up as the vampire slowly started to approach her, a hungry look taking control of her expression as she walked.

"What do you mean?" The vampire asked in response, tilting her head slightly as she walked, the sound of the blood in the other girl's veins still driving her forward.

"Well, you're kinda looking at me like you want to take a bite out of me, and I'm really not liking that, because you know, being bit by vampires is bad." As she continued to babble, Willow felt the wall make contact with her back, the cold feeling of the marble walls letting her know that she had effectively backed herself into a corner. Converging on her within seconds, Tara titled her head and smiled at her, the look in the vampire's eyes sending genuine shivers down the Witch's spine.

"You're babbling, are you nervous?" Tara asked, her hand reaching out and pushing the red-head's hair out of the way, exposing her neck into plain view. "You tend to do that when you're nervous."

_"Oh, Goddess."_ The Witch answered, swallowing hard as she saw the vampire's eyes continue to focus on her exposed neck. "Tara, _please,_ stop."

"It doesn't really hurt, you know. I should know, personal experience and all." Turning her gaze from the girl's neck, the vampire locked eyes with the red-head that remained trapped between the wall and her body. "Just one second of pain, and then you feel all warm, when it's done right. It's unlike anything in the world."

"You said you wouldn't hurt me." Hearing the words, the look in the vampire's eyes changed for a split second, a thread of confusion driving away the hunger.

"And I won't. What are you so afraid of?"

"You're staring at me like you want to bite me!" Willow almost yelled, the fear in her voice almost completely out of control. "Goddess, why are you scaring me?!"

"I...I'm not trying to." Shaking her head, the vampire backed away, avoiding the urge to frown as the Witch began to sprint towards the couch where she had laid her backpack down earlier. As she watched the other girl dig through the various contents inside, Tara slowly started towards her, her bare feet making almost no sound as they connected with the concrete floor.

"Tara, please, just stay back!" As she brought her hand up into plain view, Willow felt her heart start to ache as the vampire stopped dead in her tracks as she saw the silver cross the Witch held in her grasp. Feeling utter revulsion burn through her mind like wildfire, Tara hissed and covered her eyes as she started to back away, the fear of the object overwhelming everything else in her thoughts.

"Put it away, it hurts." She spat out, the tone in her voice a mixture of pain and anger. "Please, Willow, stop!"

"Tara, sit down, over here, and I'll put it away." Pouring every single shred of strength into her voice, Willow stepped aside to let the vampire move past her in order to reach the piece of furniture. Satisfied where Tara was sitting, the Witch clinched her fist around the piece of jewelry, effectively hiding it from view. Her eyes free to look at the red-head standing only a few feet away from her, the vampire smiled somewhat nervously. It looked so much like how she would have responded to the situation months ago, and as she saw it, Willow again felt her heart ache.

"I'm sorry."

"That's not going to work, Tara, and you know it." Her face retaining its serious expression, the red-head pointed to it. "Resolve face, you know exactly what it means."

"Willow, please, I'm sorry."

"You tried to bite me! Or at least acted like it!" Frowning, the vampire morphed her lips into a pout.

"I'm sorry, I'm hungry." Seeing the girl's expression, Willow dropped her head and sighed.

"Don't scare me like that again."

_"Blood."_ Tara answered, the pout still on her face. Inside her stomach, she could feel the pangs of hunger already starting to flare up, engulfing everything inside her body with the single desire to drink. "Please, Willow, I'm getting hungry, it hurts when I'm hungry."

"I didn't bring anything with me...Can you wait an hour or so?" The vampire shook her head.

"I don't know, it hurts too much. When I'm hungry, I can't think straight." Looking down at the floor, the vampire folded her hands in her lap. "I...I almost hurt you. I wanted to bite you so bad..."

"Tara..."

"Willow, it _hurts_ so much." As she spoke, Tara could still feel the hunger continuing to work its way through her system like a disease inside her unbeating heart.

"I...I..." Her heart beating faster and faster inside her chest, Willow looked at the vampire with one sole thought running through her mind like a raging fire. Sighing, she forced her feet to fall into step before her brain changed its mind. As she came to a stop at the vampire's side, she fell to her knees, and moved the hair away from her neck.

"Willow..."

_"Drink_. I'm not going to have you suffer." The Witch said, having to push the sentence out of her mouth as fear started to pour into her heart. Hesitating, Tara almost wanted to push herself away from the girl, and suffer through the hunger, but as she heard the Witch's heart beginning to beat faster, the hunger began to come in stronger, overwhelming her senses in the process. Her face changing into its true form, her yellow eyes locked onto the girl's jugular, her stomach already anticipating the taste of the red liquid.

"Tara, just don't drink too much. Pleas-" The words had barely left her lips before the Witch felt a sharp pain flow over her neck as the vampire bit into her. Within seconds, the pain was replaced by an overwhelming warmth that spread out through every square inch of her body. As the blood in her system was slowly drained out of their respective veins, Willow sighed in pleasure as the warmth continued to circulate through her body. Closing her eyes, she tried to push her arm up in order to wrap it around the vampire's neck, but her body refused to obey her commands, her muscles too wrapped up in the sensations of having the blood drained out of her body to work properly.

"T-t-Tara..." She stuttered, having to fight with every shred of strength into her voice as she pushed the name out of her mouth. Hearing her name crashing into her brain, the vampire retracted her fangs from the girl's mouth with some difficulty, her stomach urging her to continue. Her tongue gliding over the bite marks, she knew somehow that they would begin to heal soon, so long as the girl didn't pick at the scabs that would begin to form. As the blood continued to pool inside her gratefully stomach, the vampire held onto the red-head as her body found it difficult to stand on its own.

"Willow?" She asked, her fingers pushing some of the girl's fiery red hair out of her eyes. She could still hear the Witch's heart beating inside her chest, assuring her that she hadn't drained too much blood out of the girl's system.

"Sleepy..." Smiling, the vampire felt the girl's heart beginning to return to its normal rate, albeit slightly different from the lack of blood. Pulling the girl into her arms, Tara gently returned to her feet, a small stream of blood staining the area beneath her lips. As she heard the cross fall to the floor, the vampire avoided looking at it, knowing that it would make her lose her grip on the sleeping girl.

In her short time at the Mansion so far, she had explored the numerous rooms that were held within, including the master bedroom that Angel had undoubtedly taken as his own at one time. The sheets had been covered with a thin layer of dust, but during the day, Tara had taken to cleaning them in order to have something to do. Making her way over to the bed, she gently laid the girl down onto the pure-red sheets, the wounds on her neck already sealing over. Her hands drifting down to the girl's shoes, she untied them, and let them fall to the floor beneath the bed, the sound having no impact on Willow's imposed sleep.

Mumbling something, the Witch turned onto her side, her hands clutching at the sheets underneath her. Continuing to smile, the vampire pulled the sheets over the red-head's body, her mind remarking how cute she looked curled up into a little ball underneath the red satin sheets. Using the back of her sleeve to wipe away the dribble of blood that remained on her chin, the vampire made her way around the side of the bed, her gaze never once leaving the girl even as her face changed back into its human guise.

"Tara?" The Witch said her name in such a low voice that she almost had trouble hearing it. Stirring slightly, Willow's hand searched its surrounding, looking for the girl's body.

_"Sssshhh_, go to sleep." As she crawled into the bed, Tara kissed the girl on the forehead, the gesture making Willow squirm until she reached the coldness of the vampire's body. Wrapping her arm around the girl's shoulders, the vampire smiled as Willow fell back asleep, the Witch's arm wrapping around the other girl's stomach. "You'll feel better later."

_I had almost forgotten how cute she looks when she's asleep._ She thought to herself, her fingers again tracing the girl's hair from the roots down to her shoulders. Leaning her head back against the backboard of the bed, the vampire sighed with an exaggerated breath, and settled herself deeper into the sheets.


	3. Complicated

**Again, thanks to those who have reviewed so far. You guys and gals are awesome :)**

**Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or any of the other characters. They belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. **

* * *

**Chapter 2**

As she continued to walk along the path to the Mansion, Willow clutched the satchel of books closer to her chest as her thoughts continued to wander. To say that she felt confused would be a vast understatement. Over the course of the past two weeks, she had started to become increasingly attached to the visits she paid Tara at night. The vampire seemingly never left the Mansion, relying on the red-head to bring her blood. Although it still grossed her out to buy pigs' blood at the slaughterhouse, it comforted her somewhat to know that Tara wasn't resorting to going out at night and hunting someone down in order to feed. Once she found a way to restore the girl's soul, Willow wanted the vampire to be as guilt-free as possible.

Scratching at the skin underneath her jacket, she hissed in pain as her fingertips met one of the more sore 'love bites', as Tara had taken to calling them, and set the wound on fire. Cursing herself for not ignoring the wound, the red-head silently reminded herself that she needed to talk to Tara about being more gentle or stopping completely with the bites…and yet, she was beginning to feel somewhat attached to the to the marks, seeing them as a part of the other girl that she could take beyond the Mansion and the night.

_Wait, am I actually _enjoying _having her bite me? _Shaking her head, Willow could already see the Mansion looming up ahead, the top portion of the structure glowing in the moonlight. Making her way up the steps, she could see the rays of light shining through the windows from the inside, the tell-tale signal that the fireplace was already burning a steady flame.

As she pushed open the door, the red-head could see Tara stretched out in front of the fireplace, her hair a tangled mess around her shoulders. Slowing her pace to an extremely slow walk, Willow quietly shut the door behind her, taking her time to make sure that she wouldn't wake the sleeping vampire. The door safely shut behind her, she set the books she had been carrying down onto a dusty table that still held the shattered remnants of what had once been a vase.

_Probably something from one of Buffy and Angel's fights... _Making her way across the floor, the red-head held her breath, not wanting to make any excess noise. As she knelt on her knees beside the vampire, she smiled at the slightly peaceful look that the vampire's expression held. Unable to stop herself, she reached out and traced the other girl's chin and cheek, the vampire's skin cool to the touch despite the raging fire only a few feet away. Her body completely still, Tara made no movement as the other girl traced her fingertips along her cheek.

She smiled as the vampire finally began to move in her sleep, Tara's body feeling the warmth trailing along the side of her face. As she retracted her fingers away from the girl's cheek, Willow watched as the vampire squirmed slightly, noticing that the warmth on her cheek had disappeared. Starting to trace her finger along the same path, the Witch watched as Tara stopped squirming, and settled back into the pillow, a smile coming to her lips in the process. Noticing the small red stain on those lips, the red-head perked up her eyebrow, leaning in closer to properly look at it in the dim light.

_Is that blood? _The thought running through her mind, Willow moved her head away, trying not to let the thought of Tara killing someone sink into her mind and give her unwanted images. Her finger still running along the vampire's cheekbones, the red-head heard nothing else in the room except for the crackling of the burning logs.

"Miss me?" Turning her head, she locked eyes with Tara, the vampire having finally awoken from its slumber.

"I'm here, aren't I?" Her hand drifting up to the Witch's neck, the vampire frowned.

"You covered up my bites."

"I didn't want anyone else to see them. Buffy would have started to suspect something." As she spoke, Willow hissed in pain as Tara's fingers touched the still sore wound from the previous night. "Ow, that hurts. I think I might have picked it open on the way over here."

"What did I tell you about touching them?" Propping herself up onto her side, the vampire pulled the neck of Willow's sweater aside and looked at the slightly bleeding wound. Continuing to frown, she looked back into the other girl's eyes. "They won't heal properly if you keep scratching them."

"I know, I couldn't help myself, it itched." Again, she hissed as the heat from the scar met the vampire's cool fingertips.

"Just ignore it. They won't hurt as much." Removing her touch from the scar, Tara smiled as her fingers grazed the Witch's red hair. "I could seal them again for you."

"Please? They hurt." The smile still stretched across her lips, the vampire brought the girl's neck closer to her mouth, her face changing into that of its true form in the process. Closing her eyes, Willow felt Tara's tongue running over the opened bites, the sensation almost making her want to groan. Pulling her face away from the red-head's neck, Tara's face returned to its human guise, the smile having finally disappeared for the moment.

"That should do it. Don't pick at them anymore." She said, addressing the girl in front of her as if she were a small child. To add to the treatment, she kissed the sealed wounds on the red-head's neck, much like a mother would do.

"I'll try." Sitting down into a comfortable position beside the brunette vampire, Willow could feel the heat from the fire spreading across her back.

"So, what books did you bring me?" Tara asked, nodding with her head towards the stack of books that still lay on the dusty table.

"Just some books from the Dorm. I thought you might want something to read."

"I suppose I could work those into my schedule, after kissing you and thinking about what I want to do to you." Smiling, the vampire laid her cold palm against the other girl's thigh, the difference in temperature able to be felt by the red-head even through her jeans. "And all the little things in between those two things."

"Am I really all you think about?" Willow chuckled, brushing her fingers over the vampire's hand.

"Twenty-four hours a day." Her hand moving up to the Witch's stomach, Tara's smile never once faded from her face. "Even when you're just outside the door." Her fingers slipping underneath the other girl's shirt, the vampire felt the other girl start to laugh as she made her fingertips dance over the Witch's bare skin.

"Stop, that tickles!" As Tara's fingers continued to move in a somewhat circular fashion, the red-head continued to laugh, the other girl's fingers finding all the sensitive spots of her skin. Slapping the vampire's hand away, Willow pressed her lips against Tara's, her tongue begging the other girl's mouth for entry. Touching the red-head's cheeks with her palms, Tara pulled away, making the other girl pout with frustration.

"Uh-uh-uh, you were bad. You opened the bites." Wagging her finger at the other girl, the vampire frowned playfully. "Bad girl."

"I'm sorry." Continuing to pout, Willow felt the vampire's finger beginning to trace the little bite marks that covered the barely visible part of her neck.

"Show me how sorry you are then." A sly expression dancing across her face, Tara smiled as the other girl took her fingers into her mouth, her tongue rolling over the digits. Chuckling slightly, she withdrew her fingers after a few minutes, her eyes locking with Willow's.

"Ok, I believe you." Leaning forward, the vampire pressed her lips against the red-head's, feeling the other girl's mouth open impatiently. Rolling her eyes inside her head in a playful manner, she continued to feel the red-head's hands clutching at the back of her shirt.

"Tara, I need you. " She breathed, the words leaving her lips just mere inches from the vampire's ear. "_Please." _

"I said I believed that you were sorry. I didn't say _yes_." Pulling away from the girl's kiss, the vampire laid her head on Willow's shoulder. "So, no. Bad girls don't get treated nice."

"_Tara…"_ The tone of her voice emerging as a cross between a whimper, and a whine, Willow nevertheless rested her head against Tara's.

"Have Buffy or Dawn gotten curious?" The vampire asked, trying to redirect the girl's attention away from the desire that continued to pour through her.

"Yes."

"Did you do what I told you?" Her head still lying against the red-head's shoulder, Tara could feel the other girl's hands toying with the bottom of her shirt.

"Yes."

"Good girl." Moving her head slightly, the vampire pressed her mouth against the girl's ear, making the red-head smile in the process. "Lean back and close your eyes." Obeying the vampire's order, the Witch leaned back until she could feel the cold concrete of the floor through the back of her shirt.

"Stay right there." Pulling herself into a sitting position, Tara closed her eyes, and started to channel the magick she had used earlier. Remaining utterly still, Willow could feel her body beginning to levitate, the sensation of weightlessness spreading through all of her senses. Opening her eyes for a split second, the red-head caught sight of the vampire sitting with her eyes closed, her faced utterly enveloped in concentration as she continued to use magick to levitate the other girl.

"Tara?" Opening her eyes, the vampire smiled as she saw the result of her work. As she returned to her feet, she pressed her lips against the red-head's, the other girl's mouth opening almost automatically.

"Something I read about in one of the books you brought me. Guess it works, doesn't it?" She said, finally managing to break the kiss after a few blissful moments.

"Yes, um, can I get down now?" Rolling her eyes playfully, Tara closed her eyes and once again channeled the magicks before Willow was safely lying on her back on the floor. "Thanks."

"I've been doing a lot of spells since you brought me those books, but I was wondering if you could get me some more."

"Yeah, sure, I can bring you the rest from the Dorm." Noticing the vampire shaking her head, the red-head stopped talking, her mind begging for an explanation.

"I want the ones Giles keeps locked up at the Magick Box."

"You…you mean the _Black Arts_ ones?" As the vampire nodded, Willow felt shock pour through her heart. "But…why?"

"I wanted to look at them."

"But you heard what Giles told us. They're dangerous!"

"And I'm dead, Willow. What danger can they possible cause me, apart from being made into dust?"

"Tara, I…I don't know."

"Please, just bring them to me." Looking into the other girl's eyes, Tara considered simply exerting her order into the red-head's mind, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Willow was too devoted to her to say no. _"Please?"_

"I…_ok._" Shrugging her shoulders in defeat, Willow felt the vampire's lips again meet hers, the sensation of the cold and warmth mixing together sending shivers down her spine.

* * *

"Hey, Willow, can I ask you a question?" Looking up from the book she had been barely reading, Willow saw Dawn slip into the seat across from her. All around the two of them, the various customers inside the Magick Box continued to look at the various pieces that were available for purchase, most unaware of the power they held in their unsuspecting hands.

"Sure, Dawnie, what's up?" As the words left her lips, there was a noticeable exhaustion in the Witch's voice. She hadn't been able to sleep outside of…the Mansion, and it was beginning to worry her. But she continued to deal with the tiredness, trying her best to act like nothing was wrong.

"I haven't seen Tara in a few weeks, is she sick?" As the younger Summers child mentioned the vampire's name, the Witch again saw images of what she and Tara had done the night before explode into her mind. Over and over again, the vampire's near order of 'Don't tell them the truth' from weeks earlier continued to ring out on an infinite loop.

"Yeah, she's, uh, been…sick recently. The doctor said she had the flu. So she's been sleeping a lot recently, because you know, that's what sick people do when they don't feel good."

"Oh, ok. I heard there was a flu bug going around. Some of the people at school caught it." Dawn replied, a touch of concern filling out the tone of her voice.

"Yeah, she just needs rest. Then she'll be as good as new." Inside her head, Willow could hear her brain shouting the word _'Lie, Lie, Lie, Lie' _back to her on a loop, much like the way Tara's order was doing the same.

"Can I see her? I mean, did the Doctor say she could have visitors?"

"I don't think that's such a good idea. We don't want you getting sick. It's a pretty nasty little bug." Her heart racing inside her chest, the red-head prayed to the Goddess that the girl would believe her reasoning. Each second that passed by without an answer from the girl seemed like an eternity, and she wanted to scream.

"Ok, guess I'll make her a 'get-well' card. Is that ok?"

"Yeah, she'd love that, Dawnie." Breathing a sigh of relief inside, Willow had to force herself not to shrug or collapse onto the table. She had always hated lying, but the situation now called for it.

"Ok, should I just give it to you?"

"Yes, I'll bring it to her. I'd rather have me getting sick than you." Her gaze drifting down to the notebook the Witch held in front of her, Dawn squinted her eyes in an attempt to make out what was written on the page. _Soul…Restoration…?_

"So whatcha writing?" The question had barely left her mouth before the red-head's eyes lit up with shock and she slammed the notebook shut.

"Nothing, nothing. Just some stuff Tara and me were going to try before she got sick." Shoving the notebook into her bag, the Witch shot the other girl a nervous smile. "I've gotta go. Bye Dawnie." As she made a bee-line for the door, Willow could feel Dawn's eyes staring into her back, a look of curiosity no doubt upon them. Shutting the door behind her, the red-head sighed as she felt her heart-beat starting to return to normal. She wasn't the best liar, and it was by luck alone that Dawn had believed her. Convincing Buffy or Xander would be a completely different act in itself. There had been numerous times that she had tried to convince Xander of something only to have him see through the charade. They would be able to tell when she was lying.

Her feet falling into step, she could feel the added weight to her bag as the books inside continued to hold their ground at the bottom. It hadn't been easy to access the volumes with so many people in the store, and Anya's ever watchful eyes looking out over the entire store. But she had managed to stuff a few of the books into her bag without a single question. She only hoped that she had grabbed the ones that Tara had wanted. Again and again, Giles repeated warnings that Black Magick was something not to be tampered with came flying back, the sound of each word ringing out like a bell.

And yet, part of her didn't care anymore. All that she cared about was getting Tara what she wanted.

* * *

As she sat inside the circle with her eyes closed, Tara continued to concentrate as the ancient magicks tugged and began to circle inside her body, the power growing larger and larger with each passing second. Inside her stomach, the hunger pangs were beginning to match the power's growth, the sensation beginning to overtake the vampire's senses as she remained still and concentrated only on the power she was wielding.

Opening her eyes, and looking at the small clock opposite the door, she saw the clock's hand turn before the loud sound of the hour shook through the room with its sound. The magicks inside her body beginning to separate without the vampire's concentration to sustain them, the hunger began its assault against Tara's senses, each one slowly falling prey to the simple base instinct. Her thoughts almost rushing to defeat the hunger, the vampire seemingly began to pray that Willow would walk through the door at any second, bringing with her the substance that would make the pangs disappear again.

* * *

Continuing to tap her feet to the music playing softly in the background, Dawn watched as her pen continued to make wild arcs across the otherwise blank piece of paper. She had been mindlessly doodling for the past four and a half hours, the music in her headphones continuing to drown out the outside world. It was her way of getting peace for once inside the crazy world that she had almost grown used to.

Looking out the window, she could see the yard illuminated by the moonlight, the features of the landscape just barely visible. And yet, the more she stared, the more she had grown adept at picking apart the shadows that had accompanied the night in its crusade against things being visible. As she watched a lone figure make its way across the yard, the pen in her hand ceased its movement as she stared down at the scene.

"Willow?" She said aloud, unable to hear the sound of her voice over the blaring music in her ears. Pushing herself away from the desk, she continued to watch the girl run across the yard, her destination being the front door of the house. Pulling her headphones out of her ears, the younger Summers child made her way to the door of her room, the hinges squeaking slightly as she opened it. As she made her way down the stairs, she saw Willow closing the door behind her, the red-head rushing into the living room in a frantic search for something.

"Willow?" As she said her name, Dawn watched as the Witch looked up at her, obviously startled.

"Oh, hey, Dawnie. It's kinda late for you to be up, isn't it?"

"Waiting for Buffy. Plus I had some homework I was trying to finish up." Stopping at the bottom of the stairs, she watched as the Witch continued to scan the stack of books on the table. "You looking for something?"

"I left a book here, I think. You haven't seen it, have you?" Making the shape of a volume with her hands, Willow described it down to the aging on the leather-worn cover.

"Nope, can't say I have. It might be in Buffy's room, do you want to check?"

"Yeah, sure. It's kinda important, I borrowed the book from Anya, and she wants it back." Saying her thanks, the Witch made her way up the stairs, leaving her bag sitting against the couch in the other room. Watching the girl disappear into her sisters room, Dawn seized the opportunity and opened the bag, finding the same notebook that the Witch had been scribbling in earlier. As she pushed the pages past her eyes, she took in the sometimes underlined passages, all of which dealt with one single thing. Restoring a soul.

_Why is she so obsessed with restoring a… _As the door to Buffy's room shut, the younger Summers child pushed the notebook back into the bag, shutting it just as Willow emerged into view from the upper portion of the house.

"Did you find it?" She asked, trying not to make her words seem too rushed.

"Yeah, Buffy must have found it after I left it here last time." Grabbing her bag, Willow pushed the volume underneath her arm. "Tell her and your mom I stopped by, Dawnie. Night."

"Night." Giving an unacknowledged wave as the Witch almost ran to the door, Dawn watched as she made her way back out into the night, her pace only having increased.

_Soul restoration?_


	4. Pieces Of The Night

**Alright, and I'm back. Hopefully you guys and gals will enjoy this chapter. Let me know what you guys think, I don't bite :P**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or any of the other characters. They belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

As her skin met the cool night air that surrounded the Mansion, Tara's eyes scanned the shadows, every individual movement able to be seen by her enhanced senses. The hunger inside her stomach had grown to an unbelievable pressure in the past three hours, and it had become increasing apparent that she couldn't wait for Willow any longer. She needed to feed _now. _

Taking a few cautious steps down the stairs that led away from the entrance, the vampire felt somewhat strange, considering that she hadn't been outside since the night of her death. It had been almost easy for her up to this point, apart from the hunger that erupted inside her stomach during the day when Willow was away, and she had no access to blood, both human or from animals. It was a pain the likes of which she had never known, one that refused to falter in its intensity, and it always grew.

Her feet seemingly moving by themselves, she walked, unsure of where exactly her body was taking her. The moon shining down above her made things seem peaceful, as strange as that sensation had become. She made her way through the grass, the forest that surrounded the Mansion beginning to fade as she came closer and closer to one of the cemeteries that littered the outskirts of town. In the air, the sound of voices started to echo towards her, making her stomach leap at the chance to find food. Anything to make the hunger fade away so she could think again.

"_Josie, will you just come on, no-one's gonna bother us in a graveyard!" _The voice was without a doubt masculine, the tone of voice showing the unmistakable threads of anger. He wanted the girl he was with, the vampire could almost sense the desire running through him.

"_And you want us to just make out, surrounded by a bunch of corpses? Are you insane?!" _

"_What, you scared?" _Clearing the final object separating her from her prey, Tara watched with hungry eyes as the scene continued to unfold in front of her. His hand on the girl accompanying him, the man continued to sound frustrated as she refused to go any further into the graveyard.

"No, I'm not scared. I just don't feel like making out on top of graves!"

"What do they care? They're dead!" Letting go of the girl, the man groaned in frustration and watched helplessly as the girl bid him farewell and quickly made her way back to the entrance. Slamming his fist off the side of a nearby statue, he closed his eyes before mumbling his frustration out into the cold night air. Smiling, the vampire emerged from her hiding place and made her way towards where the man was still mumbling to himself. Her steps light and soundless, she stopped only a few feet from the man before clearing her throat in an exaggerated gesture. As he turned to face her, the man's expression changed from anger to curiosity and finally a smile overtook his expression.

"Hi." Waving in forced manner, the vampire met the man's eyes. "I…I couldn't help but overhear your conversation with your…girlfriend, is it?"

"Who, Josie? Nah, she's just some local flame that I hook up with every now and then." Running a hand through his hair, the man continued to smile at her. "And who might you be?"

"Oh, I'm nobody. Just someone that likes to walk around graveyards at night."

* * *

"Tara?!" As she ran from the bedroom, Willow scanned the surrounding rooms at a frantic pace. "Tara, if you're hiding, it's _not_ funny!" Noticing the slightly ajar door to the outside, she felt her heart drop to the pure abyss of her chest. "Oh no, no, no, no." Stepping out onto the landing, the Witch looked around at the woods, her eyes unable to pick apart the shadows from the objects they hid. Unable to properly think, she rushed down the stairs and into the woods, following the footprints that were barely visible in the wet grass.

"Tara?!" She yelled out, no caring what kind of attention she attracted so long as she found the vampire before she did something she would regret. The thought of seeing the vampire rip into someone else's throat made her brain become awash with a high mixture of fear, anger, and…_jealousy?_ Pouring every portion of her strength into her legs, she continued to follow the footprints, right up until she passed the entrance to the cemetery, the sound of a conversation making its way to her ears, the words extremely faint. And within a moment, the unmistakable piercing cry of a scream shattered through the night air, making the Witch's heart begin to beat even faster as she ran towards the sound's origin.

* * *

The man's blood still running down her chin, Tara watched as her prey continued to squirm about on the ground in front of her, the wound on his neck continuing to ooze blood, as if it were an invitation for the demon to drink more. Smiling, the vampire started to walk towards him, her game face still in control of her features and her fangs blood-stained.

"Going somewhere?" She asked, swinging her hips with each step she took. "I thought we were going to have _fun?"_

"God, stay away from me!" His hand covering the wound in his neck, the man continued to crawl away, his head spinning from the lack of blood in his system.

"Was I too rough?" Her foot landing against the man's chest, Tara shook her head slightly. "I've heard that before."

"No, no, no, no, please!" Ignoring her prey's begging, the vampire pulled the man onto his feet, her gaze never once leaving the bloody wound she had left from her bite. Her fangs starting to inch their way down to her prey's neck, the vampire could already taste the slightly tainted blood spilling out onto her tongue.

_"Tara!"_ Her head shooting up, the vampire's yellow eyes caught the sight of Willow rushing towards her, the sound of the red-head's heartbeat pounding in her ears with an overwhelming volume. "Tara, stop!"

"Oh, god, please help!" Ignoring the man's pleas, Willow stared into Tara's eyes, the yellow color of them nearly making her lose her nerve.

"Tara._ Let. Him. Go."_ Frowning at the order, the vampire retained her grip on the man as the hunger in her stomach demanded more blood.

"But I'm hungry, and he tastes good."

_"Put. Him. Down."_ Her 'resolve face' coming out, the red-head waited for the vampire to drop her prey. Giving an exaggerated sigh, Tara dropped the man onto his back, her yellow eyes watching as he ran screaming into the woods, his hand covering the wound on his neck.

"Tara, what were you doing?!" Her voice nearly breaking with anger and fear, the Witch watched as the vampire's face changed back into its human guise. "I mean, I know what you were doing, but _why?_ I had blood for you!"

"I was too hungry. I didn't think you were going to show up." Hearing the vampire's answer, Willow's eyes lit up with shock.

"Why?"

"You were late. The pangs got worse." As she continued to explain, Tara felt more and more pain beginning to pile up in her stomach. "And they're coming back." Sighing, the Witch closed the distance between herself and the vampire, her hand grabbing Tara's in the process.

"Come on." Pulling the vampire's body closer to her and into step, she felt the coldness of the vampire's skin sending shivers down her spine. "Let's just go back."

Remaining silent for most of the walk back to the Mansion, Tara rested her head against the other girl's shoulder, the coolness of her skin against making the Witch feel somewhat uncomfortable, even through the jacket she wore.

"You're jealous." Tara finally said, stopping in mid-step as she and Willow reached the doors to the Mansion.

"What?" Taken aback by the question, the Witch stopped, still holding the vampire's palm in her hand.

"You're jealous that I didn't ask to drink from you."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Turning to walk inside the Mansion, the red-head felt Tara's hand holding fast against her palm.

"You want to feed me, and you don't want me to think about anyone else doing it." Her eyes locking onto the vampire's neck, Willow couldn't bring herself to meet the other girl's eyes. "Don't you?"

"_What's wrong with me?" _Smiling as she heard the answer to her question, Tara reached out and traced the girl's cheek from her temple down to her chin.

"Nothing. You're perfect the way you are." The vampire's remark making her smile, the Witch felt the girl's finger curl underneath her chin, tilting it until she was forced to meet the vampire's eyes. "You feel protective of me, don't you?"

"I shouldn't, you're…." Her sentence trailing off as the words became trapped inside her throat, Willow saw the vampire's unflinching gaze as she looked into her eyes.

"I'm supposed to be evil, aren't I? Buffy's told you so much over the years that you've believed every word she's said. But then I come along, and I'm not as evil as I should be, isn't that right?" Nodding her response, the red-head waited for Tara to continue.

"You want to protect me because you can't imagine living without me."

"It hurt so much to lose you, I can't go through that again." Gazing into the vampire's pupils, the Witch saw something similar to the warmth and love that Tara's eyes had once held.

"I love you, Willow." The words left the vampire's lips with so much compassion behind them that, for a single second, the red-head forgot that the girl standing in front of her was a vampire. Her mind recognized the genuine affection that crowded the vampire's words and tone.

"I love you too." She answered, taking Tara's other palm into her hand, the warmth in her fingertips clashing against the cold sensations of the vampire's hand. Continuing to smile, Tara noticed the slight look of disgust that overtook the other girl's face.

"What?"

"The blood on your mouth is kinda ruining the moment for me a little bit." Touching a hand to her mouth, Tara looked down at the visible stain of blood on her fingertip.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up." Pulling the vampire into the Mansion, Willow shut the door behind them, leaving nothing outside but the cold night air.

* * *

Dipping the wet rag back into the sink, Willow continued to dab the wet piece against Tara's still slightly stained red-lips. The blood was beginning to come out, although the portions that had dried out on her fangs had disappeared even before they had gotten into the bathroom. The vampire had been surprisingly cooperative, despite the occasional pinch that she had used against the red-head's thigh, more as a sign of amusement than of anger. Her fingers slowly reaching out to repeat the gesture, Tara saw the Witch lock eyes with her.

"Can you just let me finish?" She said, her serious tone undermined by the playful expression her face held. Looking slightly defeated, Tara dropped her hand back to her side, allowing the other girl to continue pressing the wet wash-cloth against her face. Satisfied that whatever trace amounts of dried blood had been cleaned off the other girl's face, the red-head dropped the blood-stained wash cloth into the filled sink before turning to find Tara already standing behind her, a smile on the edges on her lips.

"Do you have to do that?" The smile finally spreading across her face as she heard the girl's response, the vampire kissed her cheek.

"It's amusing to watch you jump."

"You think it's funny to scare me?" Perking up her eyebrow in an amused fashion, Willow stared at her reflection in the mirror, her body being the only thing reflected in the object besides the room around her. "And you said I was bad?"

"You like it, don't lie." Brushing the girl's hair off to the side, Tara rested her head against the other girl's exposed skin. Turning around, the Witch returned the kiss, making the vampire smile yet again.

"You look so much better without blood all over your face." She said, brushing her thumb over the other girl's chin.

"I'm still a little hungry." Tara answered, a pout beginning to form at the edges of her mouth. "Did you bring me any blood?" Pulling the neck of her shirt down, the Witch watched as the vampire actually hesitated, the conflicted look in her eyes giving away her emotions.

"Willow, honey, I'm taking too much from you. You're going to keep getting weaker if you let me drink from you." Standing still due to the lack of room inside the bathroom, Tara watched as the red-head continued to hold her neck up to her.

"If you're going to bite anyone, you're going to bite me." Coming closer to the vampire, Willow bent her head slightly in order to give the girl more room. "And _only _me." Pressing herself firmly against the vampire, the red-head prepared herself for the sharp pain that accompanied the bite before the warmth set completely in. Closing her eyes for a single moment, Tara's face morphed into its true form, her yellow-pupils focusing in on the willing neck in front of her. Giving the girl a quick kiss on the lips, the vampire bit down on Willow's neck, causing the other girl to emit a sharp hiss of pain in the process. As she felt the familiar warmth spread through her body, the Witch relaxed, closing her eyes as the vampire continued to feed on her.

* * *

_All around her, the Mansion was erupting into flames, the walls and furniture crumbling into dust from the extreme heat that cycled through the room at an unbelievable pace. As she carefully made her way through the flame infested room, Willow repeatedly called out Tara's name, her eyes watering from the overwhelming amount of smoke that accompanied the flames. The floor underneath her feet seemingly beginning to burn up, the Witch said some Latin words aloud in order to protect herself from the heat that surrounded every square inch around her. _

"_Willow?" Turning around with unrestrained joy as she heard Tara's voice through the sounds of the chaos that surrounded her, Willow could barely make out the other girl's form against the smoke and flames._

"_Tara?! Over here!" Walking towards the vampire as the spell continued to protect her from the raging fire, the Witch could see the vampire somewhat panicking as she attempted to move towards the other girl. As she made her way through the flame-soaked room, Tara's sole focus was on the red-head moving towards her, the girl's form just barely visible against the pitch black smoke. With only a few feet of the flames that separated them remaining, the vampire felt a sharp pain as something broke through both bone and muscle in a rush to her heart. As the wood met her unbeating heart, Tara looked down at the sharpened stake sticking out of her chest. She heard Willow screaming out her name with a hurricane of emotions behind the tone of her voice, and then the world around her disappeared as she fell into a pile of ashes._

_As the vampire evaporated into dust, Willow felt her heart break in half inside her chest, the wave of emotions riding through her almost making her want to throw herself into the flames. Looking up, she could see Buffy moving towards her, the stake she held in her hands gripped so tightly that it could possibly snap at any moment. Seeing the look of pure and unrestrained anger in the Slayer's eyes, the Witch started to back away, the protection spell finally beginning to become overwhelmed from the combination of fire and heat. Every one of her senses telling her to run, she started towards the entrance to the Mansion, the door already having been destroyed by the fire. _

"_Going somewhere?" In the blink of an eye, Buffy was in front of her, her hand shooting out and grabbing the red-head's throat in one swift motion that was quick and precise. _

"_Buffy…" As she started to speak, Willow's lungs erupted into flames as the Slayer tightened her grip on her throat._

"_You lied to us, and because of you, someone I cared about is dead." Raising the stake over her shoulder, the Slayer brought it down towards the girl's throat, the pointed end of the weapon just beginning to make contact with the girl's throat when she started to scream…_

"Willow, honey, what's wrong?" Tara asked holding the other girl down onto the bed as she continued to thrash about in her half-asleep state. Her eyes shooting open, and her body trying to follow suit, the first things Willow saw were Tara's blue eyes looking down at her, the concern in the vampire's eyes sending waves of calm through the otherwise terrified girl. Trying to breathe, the Witch looked up at the other girl's eyes, her heart beginning to feel as if it would explode. Hearing the girl's heartbeat continuing to decrease as the fear began to drain out of it, the vampire smiled.

"Calm down, It's alright."

"Tara?" Wrapping her arms around the vampire's waist as she released her hold on her, Willow felt the tears already streaming down her face, soaking her skin in the process.

"Sssshhh, it's ok. It was just a bad dream." Kissing the top of the girl's head, the vampire let the red-head continue to cry until the river of tears stopped , and all that remained was the occasional sob that passed through her lips. "It was just a dream, just a dream."

Finally pulling away and sinking back into her place on the bed, Tara's gaze never once broke their lock with Willow's tear-stained pupils.

"It's alright."

"It felt…it felt so real…"

"It's not, you were only sleeping." Reaching out, the vampire moved a few strands of the girl's red-hair out of her eyes. "Just tell me what it was, you're safe here. I'll protect you."

"The…The Mansion was on fire, and Buffy was there. Oh, Goddess, Tara, she staked you and I couldn't do anything about it. I couldn't save you." Frowning, the vampire placed her hands against the other girl's cheeks, making sure that she wouldn't look away.

"It was only a dream, nothing can hurt you as long as I'm around." Smiling at Tara's promise, the red-head stifled another cry.

"Tara…" She started before the vampire pressed her lips against hers, the cold feeling of the girl's tongue entering her mouth making the Witch forget about everything for a few peaceful moments.

"You want to tell Buffy, don't you?" Tara asked, breaking the kiss after five long minutes in order to let the other girl breathe. "You don't like lying to her."

"No." Shaking her head slightly, Willow frowned from both mention of lying and the vampire's lack of contact with her. "Please, let me tell her."

"So soon after you had a dream involving me being at the receiving end of a stake? Seems like a _great_ idea."

"She's going to find out eventually. Dawn keeps asking me questions. She acts like she knows something is wrong with you being sick."

"Is that what you told them?" Chuckling slightly, the vampire smiled. "And what if she does? Do you think she would want to stake me?" Appalled by suggestion, the Witch looked back at the vampire.

"No, Tara, she loves you." Kissing the girl's cheek, Willow watched as the other girl stared at the window that lay on the other side of the room. "They all love you."

"They're not going to keep believing that I'm sick or taking care of some family matter." Tilting her head in order to meet Willow's eyes, the vampire's expression had become somewhat emotionless. "We'll tell them soon."

"Promise?"

"Very soon, I promise."


	5. Stare It Cold

**As usual, enjoy the chapter you guys!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or any of the other characters. They belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

"Ok, Wills, I'm starting to think that you're sick." As she stopped writing with her blue pen, Willow saw the look of pure concern that dotted her friend's face.

"Why do you say that?" Trying to avoid making her voice sound shaky, the Witch breathed in and out numerous times, making the action look inconspicuous.

"Because you look sick-y. You're always tired, you don't talk to us hardly anymore, and you haven't been research girl lately." Perking up her eyebrow, Buffy waited for the other girl's response somewhat patiently. "So what's up?"

"I've just had some stuff going on in my life right, stuff that I do when I'm not around you guys. You shouldn't worry." Shaking her head, the red-head could already tell that Buffy wasn't going to accept her answer. "Really, no need for worry here. We're all worry-free."

"Is something going on between you and Tara?"

"No, no, we're fine. She's just having some family issues that she's trying to work out."

"Dawnie misses seeing her."

"I know, she made Tara a card." Digging into her bag, the red-head pulled out the hand-made card and flashed it to the Slayer. "I'm going to give it to her later."

"Does she feel like we don't want her around?"

"No, Buffy, she's been sick recently, and she's dealing with her family. Why do you keep asking me so many questions?" A touch of anger dripping into her voice, the Witch pushed herself out of her chair, grabbed her bag and began walking towards the door in one swift motion. "I gotta go. I'll see you later."

"Remember, we're meeting up at the Bronze tonight!" The blonde shouted after her, unsure if the other girl had heard her properly before the door shut with a loud bang.

* * *

"_No, no, no, Buffy, stop, please, stop."_ Clutching the sheets underneath her palm, Willow kept her eyes shut, the dream refusing to relinquish its hold over her mind. Tossing and turning in the bed, the Witch's muttering continued to grow louder and louder, the anguish she was suffering through continuing to worsen with each passing moment. The previous dreams she had had the nights before had been nothing compared to the horror that she was suffering through at that very moment.

As the girl's whimpers echoed out of the bedroom and into the other areas of the mansion, Tara looked up from the roaring fire in front her. Waiting for only a moment, she threw the last log into the fire, and looked into the room, the small joy she had experienced only an hour earlier at finally getting the girl to go to sleep effectively gone.

"_She's not evil, she's not, please, please, please." _Shaking her head, the Witch continued to shake underneath the covers, the result of the dream able to be seen by the vampire even from across the room. Part of her wanted to rush over and comfort the girl, but yet another half wanted to wait and see the result of the dream, the mumbling continuing to give away invaluable clues. Willing herself to stay in place against the wall, the vampire waited.

"_Buffy, please, it's Tara! Can't you see that?!" _ Again, more clues as to what the dream itself was about. The part of the vampire that wanted to rush to Willow's side continued to cry out inside her, making her head hurt for a single moment before the pain subsided. _Just one more minute, and then I'll wake her._

"_Tara, Tara, Tara, Goddess, I'm sorry." _Her feet falling into step, the vampire calmly walked over to the side of the bed, her finger coming to rest gently on the red-head's cheek. Her body stiffening for a single moment, Willow's whimpers began to stop, the sound of them growing more and more faint with each passing minute. Smiling at the effect she was having on the sleeping girl, Tara slowly moved the digit up and down the other girl's cheek, stopping only for a moment to trace a strand of the girl's red-hair. The minutes continued to pass by, and eventually Willow was fast asleep yet again, the dream seemingly having faded away as soon as the girl had felt the vampire's touch.

As she turned to leave, the vampire stopped dead in her tracks as she heard the girl call out her name. Turning her head in order to see if the red-head had woken up, she found the girl to still be somewhat asleep, her hand searching for another presence on the bed beside her. Waiting, the vampire continued to stand still, her mind wanting to hear the girl call out her name again. It made her smile to know that the other girl dreamed of her often, and that she could calm those nightmares with the simplest of touches.

"Tara?" Finally giving into the urge she felt to join the sleeping girl on the bed, Tara laid down beside the sleeping girl, her arm wrapping around the red-head's stomach to show her that she was there. Melting into the vampire's grip, Willow sighed in her sleep, her head pushing itself deeper into the pillow.

"I'm here." The vampire finally said, answering the girl's earlier question with a soft voice. "Always."

* * *

As the music continued to pour out of the Bronze's P.A. system, the countless people on the dance floor continued to fill out the room, their bodies weaving in and out of each other's space in response to the music's beat. On the stage, the band kept pouring out its song that seemed to be oddly reminiscent of the alternative music that had controlled the radio waves during the earlier portion of the decade.

Continuing to sip at the drink she held loosely in her hand, Willow couldn't help but feel anything but confusion making its way through her mind in large droves. For the past three or four years of her life, the lines dividing good and evil had been so clear and divine, with vampires being on one side and humans on the other. No mingling between two…apart from Buffy and Angel, and that led to bad things….and for good reasons. She had been able to deal with hoards of vampires trying to kill them on a nightly basis, packs of Demons, a werewolf boyfriend, and the occasional substitute teacher who was really a bug in disguise. There had been evil robots disguised as men, the swim-team being turned into fish creatures, and even the Mayor of the entire town trying to 'ascend' and take over the entire world.

In the span of two weeks, one vampire had blurred every single line, and left them in utter ruins. Tara was supposed to be evil now, she didn't have a soul, and a vampire not having a soul was an evil demon, Angel being the perfect example. Tara was supposed to be a killer, something that would go out in the middle of night and break someone's neck in order to drain them of every single drop of blood in their veins. She was supposed to try and kill her, to try and drain her of blood until not a shred of the red liquid remained to flow through her veins.

And yet, Tara had shown her nothing but _love._ She had comforted her when she had woken up screaming because of how real the dreams had continued to feel. She had only, with one sole exception, drank the blood that the red-head had brought her. She had had the opportunity to kill her if she had truly wanted to, and the vampire had still only drank enough to sustain herself for a few days. No matter how hungry she got, she had never tried to drain Willow.

Was it possible for a vampire to love someone, without having a soul inside them? Spike had loved Drusilla, in his own twisted way. Was it the same with how Tara felt about her? Taking another sip of her drink, Willow knew that she would only be lying to herself if she said she didn't love the vampire, blood-drinking or not. The soul wasn't there, but the body and mind were, the things that had made Tara who she was were still there. The red-head had seen numerous times the love and compassion in the vampire's eyes, emotions so strong that they couldn't have been faked. Not that easily and quickly.

"Are you still just sitting there?" Looking up from her drink, the red-head saw Buffy slide into the other seat across from her at the able, a smile gracing the Slayer's features. "Come on, Wills, I know you're down about Tara being sick, but that doesn't mean that you can't have fun!"

"I'm just not feeling very festive tonight." Frowning, Willow's gaze fell back to the drink in front of her. "I might go home and study."

"Ok, you've got a serious face on, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. I don't feel good, and I haven't been sleeping well."

"That doesn't sound good. Bad dreams?"

"Yeah." _You have noooo idea. _"Just nightmares that keep happening."

"About what?" Her mind wishing that the Slayer would just drop the conversation, the red-head resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Subtle was something that Buffy was not skilled at being.

"Nothing. Just bad memories." Frowning slightly, the blonde looked back at the other girl with sympathetic eyes.

"Have you talked to Tara about them? Maybe she could help you out with them, talk about them with you and stuff."

"Maybe I could." Her eyes lighting up with a mixture of shock and sudden fear, the red-head turned her head in one swift motion, her eyes catching sight of the brunette standing at her side, a smile on the other girl's face.

_"Tara?!"_ As she said the vampire's name aloud, Willow eyed the girl from her feet up to her face and back again, noticing how 'normal' she looked amongst everyone else inside the club. She had been unable to avoid letting the shock inside her from bleeding into her voice, and she silently began to pray that Buffy hadn't heard the change in her tone.

"That's m-me." The words passed through the vampire's lips with such a casual tone that it wanted to make the red-head believe that the girl standing in front of her wasn't dead, and that everything was just as it had once been.

"I thought Willow said you were dealing with some family issues." Buffy asked, taking a sip of her drink as she finished her sentence, completely unaware of the emotion that had filled out Willow's voice only moments before. "Did you finally get them 'done'? If that's the right word."

"I decided to t-take a break from it. I was k-k-kinda going stir crazy, plus I was s-sick and I'm starting to feel b-better." Smiling, the vampire shyly pushed part of her hair back behind her ear. "So, I t-t-thought I'd come see y-you guys."

"Pull up a seat then." Patting the chair next to her, the Slayer offered the other girl a smile, remembering how much Tara didn't function well in large crowds. Nodding her thanks, the vampire sat down, offering a smile at Willow as the other girl continued to stare at her with countless emotions dancing across her expression. Looking down at the nearly empty drink in her hand, the Slayer frowned before her gaze bounced back to the two other girls in front of her.

"I'm gonna get us more drinks, be right back." Rising from her seat, Buffy disappeared into the heart of the crowd, her body becoming lost amongst the countless others lingering around on the floor of the Bronze. As she watched the other girl disappear, the red-head turned her eyes towards the vampire sitting beside her.

_"What are you doing here?!"_ Willow hissed, knowing that despite the loud music, the vampire would hear her perfectly well.

"You said you were having nightmares about Buffy, so I'm here. To protect you, just like I promised."

"But she might be able to sense you. She's …she's…Buffy!"

"And I'm a vampire. I've been reading those books you brought me. If she tries to attack me, I'll be ready."

"Tara, I can't lose you again." Smiling, the vampire gave the other girl a quick kiss on the cheek as if it would reassure the Witch that she would be alright.

"Don't worry. Let's just have fun."

"Drinks, drinks, drinks, I brought drinks!" As Buffy's voice echoed back across the table, all traces of the previous conversation dropped off. "I didn't know what to get you Tara, so I just got you a soda. Hope that's alright."

"It's f-fine." Toying with the straw that lay in the middle of the glass, Tara had no intention of taking a sip of the beverage, considering that she would gain nothing from it apart from the appearance that she was fine. Personally, she was amused at the excuse that her lover had come up with about her being 'sick', and she wanted to play on that for just a few moments.

"You ok, Tara, you seem a bit...off." Narrowing her eyes at the other girl, Buffy couldn't help but feel like something was wrong. Willow's girlfriend still acted like she always had, with the shy and nervousness glances at everyone else besides Willow in place, and the stuttering in her voice on the tip of her tongue, threatening to spill over at any moment. And yet, she didn't seem..._there._ Like something was missing from the way she was acting…

"Yeah, I'm f-fine. Why do y-y-you ask?" As the stuttering left the brunette's mouth, the Slayer almost swore that the sound of the words seemed somewhat forced, and not the way they would sound normally. Her mind still ablaze with questions, she swallowed them down in order to make sure that she could observe anything else.

"Nothing, you just seemed a little out of it. I'm probably just imagining things." Forcing a smile, the Slayer went back to her drink, her 'Slayer senses' all the while continuing to pick up that something wasn't right with the girl sitting beside her. She hadn't survived this long in Sunnydale by being careless. If there was one thing that she had learned, it was to trust her gut instincts when they told her something was wrong.

"I am k-kinda tired though, must be the medicine w-w-wearing off. Willow, do y-you want to go b-b-back to the d-dorm?" Turning her head towards the red-head sitting beside her, Tara caught Willow's eyes as the other girl looked up from her drink.

"Y-yeah, sure. That's sounds good. I'm starting to feel a little tired myself." Pushing herself away from the table, the Witch found the vampire at her side within moments, their arms linking together as if it were second-nature to the two of them. "Sorry, Buffy, guess we're leaving you to the wrath of Xander and Anya."

"It's fine. They're pretty caught up in themselves." Tilting her head in the direction of where Xander and Anya were dancing out on the floor, the blonde took another swig of her drink.

"No Riley tonight?" Frowning slightly, Willow knew that something had been happening between the two of them , and it was beginning to show on the other girl's face.

"Nah, he took the night off. Guess he's at home sleeping." Rolling her eyes, the Slayer swallowed the remainder of her drink before setting the glass back down onto the table. "Night."

* * *

Making their way through the crowd, the two girls were largely silent, their fingers locking together as they walked. For all intents and purposes, they looked largely like a normal couple, enjoying each other's company on a simple night out.

Both of them knew entirely too well how untrue that was.

As soon as they stepped out into the slightly cold evening air, Willow turned an angry look on the vampire, with Tara seemingly oblivious to the girl's gaze as they continued to walk through the streets, eventually turning towards an empty alleyway. Above them, the dark clouds continued to threaten to unleash wave after wave of rain upon anyone caught below them.

_"What were you doing?!"_ The red-head nearly shouted, her voice echoing off of the alley-walls that surrounded herself and the vampire. There was no-one else around, but the girl still held back, not wanting to attract any attention to herself or Tara that they didn't need.

"I told you. You had bad dreams about Buffy, and I said I would protect you."

"Tara, Buffy could have found out what you were! Do you realize what could have happened if she had?!" Pacing a little bit in front of the other girl, the red-head almost wanted to growl in frustration as the anger she had barely managed to keep under control in the Bronze came boiling to the surface at an unbelievable pace. "How could you take that risk?!"

"Do you realize how much you were whimpering in your sleep? How you kept repeating both my name and Buffy's over and over again like we were fighting? I wanted to protect you."

"Just tell me why!" Willow continued, obviously not hearing what the vampire had answered her with. "_Goddess_, tell me why you would even think about doing something that could involve me being alone without you!"

"Willow..." The vampire's answer going in one ear and out the other, Willow continued to fume in front of the other girl.

"Don't just stand there, tell me _why! _Were you going to tell Buffy right then and there?!"

_"Willow!"_ Raising her voice, the vampire lifted her hands and grasped the other girl's forearms, effectively making her stop shouting. Stepping closer to her, Tara pressed her lips against the red-head's, pushing both herself and the other girl towards the closest wall until Willow's back was firmly pressed against the slightly dirty-bricks with no chance of her wiggling out of the vampire's grip. As she pulled away, Tara's eyes remained locked with the red-head's, with the vampire trying her best to pour some warmth into her pupils in order to show that there was nothing the red-head had to fear.

"I wanted to protect you. I came because I could tell that you didn't feel a hundred-percent safe with Buffy around. So I came. _For you_. I came because you wanted me to, even if you didn't tell me." Looking deep into the vampire's eyes, Willow wrapped her arms around the other girl's waist with an instinctive pressure.

"Tara, oh, Goddess, I was so scared. I could see Buffy looking at you, and that dream just kept playing over and over again in my head, and I couldn't stop it." Laying her head against the vampire's shoulder, the red-head could feel the waves of emotions inside her continuing to pound at her mind without end.

_"Sssshhh_, no more talking. Just relax, you're tired." Pulling her head backup, the Witch looked down at her wrist-watch, plainly seeing the time looking back at her. It was late, almost midnight.

"Wow, it's later than I thought it was. You should...you should go back to the Mansion. The sun will be up soon."

"Will you be coming with me?" Resting her forehead against the red-head's, Tara's fingers toyed with the button of the other girl's jeans, a sly smile spreading across her face. "I've been lonely without you."

"Tara...I came to see you last night." Rolling her eyes, the vampire continued to play with the other girl's jeans.

"That was hours ago. That's a long time to not see you." As she heard the vampire's words flowing through her brain, Willow felt something wet land on her face, and as she looked up, she could see the rain-drops beginning to pour down from the clouds above.

"So…?"

"Ok. It's a longer distance to the Dorms than it is to the Mansion. I don't feel like getting caught in the rain, because you know that someone could get sick from that, and I don't need to be getting sick right considering that that wouldn't be a good thing, and…" Smiling at the Willowbabble, Tara pressed her finger against the other girl's mouth.

"It's fine. I understand, you don't want to get wet." Her fingers ceasing with their torment of the red-head's jeans, the vampire grabbed the other girl's hand, and gently made the red-head's feet fall into step as the rain-drops' force began to grow more and more intense with each passing second.


	6. Caught In The Rain

**Alrighty, we're back. So, enjoy! As always reviews/thoughts are appreciated :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or any of the other characters. They belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Outside, the rain continued to pour down at a furious pace, the drops soaking every square inch of ground they came in contact with. As Tara nearly pushed her into the Mansion, Willow could feel every strand of her red-hair sticking to her face in wet clumps, a product of getting caught in the middle of the rain storm. Closing the door behind her, the vampire shook her head in an attempt to get rid of some of the excess water that soaked her body.

"Can…can y-you start t-the f-f-fire?" Frowning as she heard the other girl stuttering as she spoke, Tara took a few steps towards her, her eyes picking up on how much the red-head was shaking in her soaked clothes.

"Come on, let's get you warmed up." Resting her hand gently on the other girl's shoulder, the vampire slowly led her into the main room, the remnants of a fire continuing to smolder. There were still enough logs stacked up beside the building to build another, making the vampire hope that it would be enough to make the other girl warm again.

"Sit down." Obeying the vampire's command, Willow sat down and leaned into the couch, rubbing her hands up and down her arms in an attempt to warm herself up. Closing her eyes, she tried to remember what it was like to be warm, to be curled up underneath the cozy sheets of a bed, to actually be able to sleep without having to worry about anything.

"Willow?" Opening her tired and cold eyes, the red-head felt her heart-beat skip as she saw the other girl standing in front of her, completely devoid of the wet clothing she had been wearing only moments before. Seeing the girl's rapid attention, Tara smiled slightly as she pulled Willow onto her feet. "The fire's starting. Take off your clothes or you won't get warm."

Looking behind the vampire, Willow could see the pockets of flames beginning to spread across the fresh logs that lay above them. The bright colors reminded her of the warm feeling that she felt whenever the vampire fed on her, and a smile gradually came to her lips before the realization of how cold she was came back in full force. Nodding her head slightly, the Witch tried to grip the bottom of her shirt, her cold and freezing fingers unable to hold still long enough to slip underneath the article.

"T-too c-c-cold." She said, her body continuing to shake as she let her hands fall back to her sides with a defeated wet clap.

"It's ok." Taking the other girl's hands, Tara let her over to the floor directly in front of the fire, the warmth from the flames spreading across both of their bodies. Unaffected by the cold, the vampire slipped her fingers underneath the other girl's shirt, the article coming off with a slight struggle before landing on the ground with a wet plop. Her shoes and socks followed the same path, with the vampire's hands moving quickly and silently.

As the flames continued to roar inside the fireplace, Willow felt some degree of relief as the sensation of warmth began to spread across her back. The sound of the rain pounding against the Mansion echoed into the room, filling every inch of the building with its constant drum-like rhythm. Her mind focused on the fire behind her, the red-head felt Tara's fingers continuing to toy with the top portion of her soaked jeans.

"Just stand still." As the button came undone, the Witch felt more and more of the fire's warmth make its way into her body. "Lift your legs." Stepping out of the soaking wet jeans, the red-head heard the tell-tale plop they made before Tara's hands were on her body once more.

"Feeling any better?" She asked, her cold fingers toying with the straps of the other girl's bra.

"A l-little." Her teeth still chattering inside her mouth, Willow kept her eyes closed in an attempt to retain all the heat in her body. As the vampire's fingers gently unsnapped the bra, she pulled it off of the other girl's body, the article adding to the pile of wet clothing that lay at the red-head's feet. Her arms wrapping around her chest, the Witch continued to shiver from the combination of the cold and Tara's fingers moving across her back. Sensing how tense the other girl was, Tara pressed her lips against the red-head's ear, causing the girl to melt into her touch. Her fingers continued to move lower and lower until they reached the top of the red-head's panties.

"It's ok, it's just me." As the other girl relaxed, the vampire pulled the girl's panties down completely, leaving no single shred of the red-head's skin unexposed to the flame. "I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to get you warm again. Just step out."

"T-T-Tara?"

"Just sit down." As she guided the red-head down onto the warm stone situated directly in front of the fireplace, Tara wrapped her arm around the girl's waist in a comforting gesture. Willow's shakes had begun to finally taper off as the fire's warmth continued to spread through her cold and damp body. Her head resting against Tara's shoulder, the red-head reveled in the silence that had spread throughout the room.

"T-Tara?" As she pushed the name past her cold lips, Willow felt the other girl tighten her hold on her.

"Yes?"

"What a-are we going to d-do?" Tilting her head in order to look into the red-head's eyes, Tara saw the conflict raging in the girl's eyes. "We can't hide you forever."

"We'll worry about it later. We're trying to dry you off." Pressing her lips against the girl's cheek, the vampire pulled Willow closer to her in the process. "After that you're going to sleep."

"I'm not tired." Morphing her lips into a pout, the red-head felt the vampire gently pinch her thigh.

"No arguing. You need your sleep." As the flames continued to roar behind them inside the stone stonework, Willow felt the last pangs of the cold become extinguished. Her hair beginning to finally dry, the red-head looked down at her fingers, feeling a sense of satisfaction that the digits were no longer shaking.

"Tara, I'm not tired. Really."

"I said no arguing." As the vampire pinched her hip this time, a squeak made its way out of the Witch's mouth, the sound sending a smile across the other girl's face. "I don't need sleep, you do."

"Suppose you don't anymore, do you?" The sound of the clock ticking across the room echoed its way to the girl's ears, ringing in both of their heads in the process.

"Come on, off to bed." Hearing the playful tone Tara's voice had, Willow smiled.

"Ok, mom." Rolling her eyes upon hearing the girl's response, the vampire snorted in order to avoid laughing.

"Doofus."

"Sarcasm, Tare, just sarcasm."

"Bed. Now." Helping the girl onto her feet, Tara led her towards the bedroom, leaving their still soaking wet clothes in a heap by the fire. Within a few hours, they'd be dry enough to wear again. As the vampire helped the other girl into the bed and underneath the red sheets, she smiled, noticing how innocent the red-head looked for a single moment.

"What time is it?" Willow asked, settling her body into the bed as she spoke.

"Late enough. Sleep."

"Are you coming to bed too?" She continued, her lips changing into a pout once more and her eyes taking on a sad quality to them. "I'm lonely."

"In a minute. Don't want your clothes to get set on fire." Flashing the red-head a sly grin, Tara slipped out of the room. As the sound of wet clothes echoed into the room as they were laid down on a solid piece of stone, Willow closed her eyes, the sheets beneath her surprisingly warm to the touch. It felt somewhat strange to know that Angel and Buffy had most likely once laid on these same sheets…_bad thoughts, bad thoughts, bad thoughts_

"Alright. I'm satisfied that a stray spark won't set them ablaze." Smiling, the vampire made her way over to the side of the bed, and pulled the sheets over-top of her, causing the red-head to open her eyes. "Not that I mind the view I'm having."

"I thought you wanted me to go to sleep?"

"I do." Kissing the girl's forehead, Tara sank deeper into the sheets. "Doesn't mean that I can't entertain a few thoughts here and there. Go to sleep. You need rest." Closing her eyes, the other girl smiled, her mind beginning to feel the need for rest. As she pulled the girl closer to her body, Tara closed her own eyes as the sound of Willow's heart-beat continued to fill her ears.

* * *

As she unleashed another fit of coughs into her pillow and sheets, Willow felt like she was dying inside. She was alone in the Dorm room, with Tara obviously stuck inside the Mansion, unable to move by the light of day. Buffy and Dawn had stopped by numerous times already within the past two days in order to make sure she was ok. Neither had commented on the state of the room, which gave the girl a small sense of relief. But she knew that she wouldn't be able to keep up the charade forever. Sooner or later, she and Tara were going to have to tell Buffy the truth about what was happening.

It hurt her to realize that the vampire was starving as she lay in bed coughing. Tara relied on the blood that she brought her, and apart from the single time that the vampire had hunted someone, that was how she had fed. But now, there was truly nothing that the red-head could do. She could barely stand up by herself without the contents of her stomach trying to escape through her mouth. Being sick was helping neither of them, and the Witch had considered using magick in order to eradicate the virus from her system, but she had been unable to read the books in order to find the proper spell.

Across the room, the TV continued to play on, the volume muted in order to prevent the massive headache from sneaking back into the girl's head, and threatening to split it apart. It had happened at least two or three times now, and it could come back at any time.

Time. Time was something that she and Tara didn't have. It was something that was keeping them apart. Something that was hurting them.

_Tara, I'll be there soon. I promise. _

* * *

Hunger. That was the single thing that existed inside her body, the sensation eradicating any other feeling, emotion, touch, or thought. As she lay underneath the sheets, Tara struggled to control her body's urge for blood, her senses existing as if they were there purely to drive her insane. It wasn't nearly as bad as it had been the night she had risen from the dead, when the thirst for blood had been the only thing she could possible think of, memories be damned. But in many ways, it all came down to a single thing. _Pain or Hunger._

More than anything, she wanted Willow to be there with her, to make the pain go away. It had crossed her mind that the girl could be sick, considering how wet and cold she had been nights before, after they had been trapped inside the rain storm. It pained her to imagine the girl in pain, suffering from an ailment that she could do nothing about. Inside her unbeating heart, the vampire felt nothing but love for the girl. She focused in on that emotion, letting it battle the hunger within her. Her brain struggled to call any memory that would inflict emotions. Sadness, hunger, anger, happiness, _anything_ was better than feeling nothing but pain and hunger.

She thought of Willow, of how the girl's smile and laughter made her feel alive again. Of how cold the girl had been nights before after the rain had drenched her down to the bones inside her. Of how red her hair was in even the dimmest lighting of the fire behind them. Of how attracted she had been to her that day she had walked into the Wicca group, of how much power she could sense inside the red-head's aura. How much _love_ her still heart held for her.

Willow would come. She wouldn't abandon her to the hunger.

Again, the thirst took over her stomach, twisting her insides over and over again. Gripping the red-sheets in her hand even tighter, she tried to bury the need, wanting nothing more than to slip into sleep until the red-head came to awaken her.

As the minutes continued to pass by, Tara could only lay and suffer, praying that Willow would come.

* * *

"You ok in here, Wills?" Poking her head inside the door, Buffy took the groan inside the room as a 'no.' "Still not feeling any better?"

"I feel like I'm dying." Rolling over onto her back, Willow stared across the room at the other girl. "Am I dead?"

"You're still breathing and talking, so that's a good sign."

"Your sarcasm isn't helping me here."

"Sorry." Turning her head to the side as if someone were talking to her, the blonde offered the red-head a smile. "Hey, I gotta go. Get better, ok? Dawnie will be by later."

"Ok." Burying her head into the pillow, the red-head heard the door gently shut and then the silence again took command of the room. The TV in the corner was still playing, the screen displaying some older movie that she had never seen before. The headaches had finally stopped, but she didn't want to risk them coming back by turning the sound on. She needed to get better, needed to go see Tara. Tara would be hungry, would be waiting for her. Tara needed blood, and she was the only one who could bring it to her.

"Feel free to stop hurting at any time." She said, pangs of pain beginning to erupt inside her brain. _Goddess, why did I even think about the headaches?_

* * *

"Tara?" Willow shouted out into the darkness that controlled every inch of the Mansion. The structure was eerily silent, with the fire in the fireplace having died days ago due to a lack of attention. Her heart dropping at the lack of any response to her question, the Witch pushed on into the structure, her eyes frantic to catch even the faintest glimpse of movement. And yet, with each step she took, the only sound that echoed back to her ears was that of her own footsteps on the cold concrete floor.

"Tara?!" She said again, her voice breaking due to her throat's soreness. "Tara?!" Turning her head slightly, the Witch caught sight of a crumbled form on the floor.

"Wil…Willow?" As she looked at the vampire in front of her, Willow could see the hunger that had all but overtaken Tara's eyes. The girl's features were contorted into visible pain, providing all the evidence that the red-head needed to know that she hadn't fed within the three days she hadn't visited her.

"Tara, oh my Goddess..."

"Willow, y-you c...came." Having to push the last word out of her mouth, the vampire looked up at the other girl as she felt Willow's hands pulling her up off the ground that she had been lying on for so long.

"Sssshhh, Tara, I'm here, it's alright." There was a noticeable fear in the red-head's tone, making the vampire wonder how bad she really looked, if it matched how she felt inside. The hunger had finally overtaken her mind, despite everything she had tried to prevent otherwise. She remembered stumbling out of bed, trying to make it to the doors in order to go out and hunt, but the floor had been what had greeted her instead. How much time had passed? Minutes, hours, days? Everything seemed to have blended together, forming one single moment of blackness.

"Goddess, how long has it been since you fed?"

"D-days." Pulling the brunette's arm around her shoulders, Willow moved as fast as her already tired system could manage, the bed being the sole thing she could think of other than the vampire at her side. The girl's skin felt colder than it had before, making her wonder how long the demon had been on the floor.

"Tara, stay with me here, look at me." The girl's tired eyes staring into hers, the Witch felt the vampire's hand gripping her shirt tighter and tighter.

"I'm so...hungry...It hurts..."

"I brought you blood, just stay here." Her body turning to run towards the door, Willow felt the vampire holding her in place, her other hand reaching out to grab her shirt.

"Need...you...now." Her face morphing into its true form, Tara's yellow eyes looked up at the other girl with an almost animalistic trait running through her pupils.

"Tara, I brou-" The red-head started before the other girl pulled her onto the bed, flipping her over onto her back before climbing on top of her.

_"Hungry."_ Was the only word that left her lips before her head fell down to the other girl's neck, her fangs breaking the skin without the slightest concern for haste. A scream escaping from her lips, Willow felt the warmth flow through her, the sensation doing little to calm her frantic mind. The look that Tara had on her face, it was the same that she had worn the night she had risen, when the hunger had been the only thing on her mind.

The vampire would _kill_ her, and she had only seconds to react.

"T-T-Tar-a." She said, hands curling on the vampire's stomach in an attempt to push her off of her. The girl made no response to her name being called, her full attention on the blood entering her system. "G-g-get o-off of m-me!"

The strength in her body beginning to fade as black dots began to blanket her vision, Willow kept struggling until her arms refused to follow her commands. The bed beneath her feeling more and more soft, the red-head closed her eyes, the black overtaking her senses and wrapping her in warmth that she couldn't even possibly ever imagine being real. Was this what it felt like to die? To feel like this for all eternity?

With one final push, the Witch finally fell still, her heart-beat barely keeping a rhythm anymore.

Withdrawing her fangs from the girl beneath her, Tara could feel a steady stream falling down and collecting on her chin. The pain inside her stomach finally had faded, replaced with a satisfied feeling as her stomach continued to lay filled to the brim with blood. Her face morphing back into its human guise, the vampire looked down at the red-head upon which her body was straddled.

"Willow?" Smiling, the girl expected to hear the red-head mutter something about being sleepy, just as she always did when she let the vampire drink from her. Her senses returning to their normal capabilities, Tara's smile disappeared when she realized the girl's heart-beat was almost entirely non-existent.

"Willow?" Her tone beginning to fill up with concern, Willow pulled the other girl up to her face by her forearms. "Willow, honey, answer me!" With silence being the only thing that circulated through the room, Tara's eyes light up with pure, unrestrained fear.

"Oh no."

* * *

As she hung her coat up onto the rack, Buffy moved silently across the floor, not wanting to wake the other occupants of the house. As she mounted the stairs, a sharp ring shot through the house, actually making the Slayer cringe as the sound filled her ears. Rushing to the phone, she pulled the receiver off the hook, the ringing ceasing almost instantly as she did so.

"Hello?"

"Buffy?! It's Tara."

"Tara? What's wrong? It's pretty late for a social ca-"

_"WILL YOU SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO ME?!"_ Pulling her ear away from the receiver, Buffy could hear the sound of the Witch screaming circling through the rest of the house.

"Tara, ok, you sound completely wigged, what's going on?"

"Get down to the hospital right now. Willow's hurt."

"What?!" Her own voice rising in volume, the Slayer wasn't surprised when she heard two sets of footsteps beginning to make their way down the stairs. "What happened?!"

"Just get down here. The sun will be rising soon, and I can't watch her during the day."

"What..." The word had barely left her lips before she heard the line cut off on the other end, a constant tone replacing it before the blonde set the receiver back down onto the table and rushed towards the door.

"Buffy, what's going on?" Dawn asked, yawning in the process.

"Willow's hurt, stay here, I'll call when I get more info." Not bothering to hear her sister and mother's responses, Buffy was out the door and running, her mind knowing the route to the hospital by heart, having been there too many times in the past few months.

Somewhere in her mind, the pieces began to click into place.


	7. Revelation

**As always, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or any of the other characters. They belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

As she continued to pace around the waiting room, Tara felt like her entire body had been dipped into filth and dragged through it. The hunger inside her had been the cause of all of this, had been the thing that drove her to bite and almost entirely drain Willow, and because of that, the chance that she might die existed in a very real possibilty.

The blood still sitting in her stomach made her feel like dying all over again.

Over and over again, she ran through the events of nearly half an hour ago, the images of her biting Willow coming to her like an out of body experience. She had tried to stop, but the hunger hadn't let her, had made her keep going even past the point that she always stopped. It had made her nearly effectively _drain_ the girl, had made her heart nearly stop its constant beating that she loved to hear so much.

"Tara?" Turning around from her pacing, the vampire saw Buffy, Xander, and Giles explode into the room, the doors they pushed past slamming into the wall with a loud bang. From where she was standing, Tara could almost smell the mix of fear, confusion, and shock that poured off of the three of them. It was nearly intoxicating, but she pushed the senses down, remembering exactly why they were all here at that single moment.

"What happened? Is she gonna be ok? What did the doctors say?" As she unleashed a barrage of questions at the other girl, Buffy pulled her jacket on tighter, despite there being hardly any cold air inside the building.

"I'm still w-waiting. The doctors s-s-say she's lost a l-lot of b-blood."

"What happened?" The Slayer repeated, her tone beginning to relax as she forced herself to calm down.

"Vampire." The word left Tara's lips with a certain dread that echoed and collided against every other wall. "We…we were walking home and they attacked us."

"And one of them bit Willow?" Giles asked, taking his glasses off and cleaning them in order to keep himself from remaining stagnant.

"Y-yes." Forcing the stutter into her voice, the vampire could feel the others' eyes staring into her as they waited for any other information. "I g-g-got them off of h-her with a s-s-spell."

"Have the doctors said anything? You know, something that sounds kinda confusing in a medical sort of way?" Xander inquired, trying his best to to inject his usual sense of humor into the conversation. That was how he coped with everything, by making a joke out of it. Without doing that, the vampire began to wonder if he would go insane.

"Nothing. T-They're still l-l-looking at her. They h-haven't told me a-anything else yet."

"Did you dust the vamps that did this?" Buffy asked, clenching and unclenching her fists as she spoke. "Because if you didn't, I'm going back out there and I'm going to find them."

"I…I d-d-did. They're g-gone." Her gaze falling to the ground, Tara tried her best to play up the innocent sad girl look that she had become so good at playing. "I saw them turn into dust."

"I suppose that all there is left to do is wait." Returning his glasses to his face, Giles gestured towards a set of chairs that lay lined up along the wall.

"I guess there is." Looking at the clock on the wall, Tara already knew how many minutes were left until the sun was in full control of the Earth. With the others here, Willow would be safe, at least for the moment. The girl's heart-beat had been faint, but it was still there. She was alive.

"I…I've g-gotta go. L-let me k-k-know if anything h-happens." Not bothering to wait for the others response, Tara headed for the doors, pushing them open in a forced casual manner. As it was, she had half an hour before she would be unable to make it back to the Mansion. As soon as the darkness fell back over the land, she would return.

"Tara?" Resisting the urge to growl, the vampire turned to find Buffy slowly walking to her, concern lighting up her face. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"I don't h-have t-t-time, Buffy." Continuing on her way towards the main lobby, Tara felt the other girl lay her hand on her shoulder, forcing her to stop.

"Tara, listen, I know you're upset, but you don't have to leave."

_"Get off of me."_ Using her elbow, the vampire forced the Slayer's hand off of her, her face morphing into its true form for a single second. As she saw the change, the look in Buffy's eyes instantly changed, her pupils beginning to drown in a sea of shock and realization.

"Take care of her. I'll be back later." Her face back in its human guise, the brunette walked out into the night, her legs finally breaking into a run when her body met the night air. Watching the girl leave, Buffy couldn't even begin to think of what to say. The events of the past three or four weeks had finally began to click into a puzzle that made sense now. Everything was there. Why Willow hadn't been near any of them as much as she had been before, why they hadn't seen Tara until that night at the Bronze, why Willow had taken to wearing clothing that covered her neck, the way she reacted angrily to them when they asked about Tara.

Tara was a _vampire._

Had she bitten Willow? Was that why the girl had lost so much blood? Tara had lied to them, had tried to make them believe something else. Had she been feeding off of Willow all this time? Had the girl _allowed _Tara to bite her, to drink her blood? _God, nothing makes sense_

"Buffy?" Turning around, the look of shock still on her face, the Slayer saw Xander rushing towards her, a confused look adorning his features. "Buff, the doctors just came out…and judging by the look on your face, I'm going to guess that something else has come up."

"Xander…." _Tara is a vampire, Tara is a vampire, Tara is a vampire…_

"Buffy, come on, talk to me."

"Tara did this to Willow." Even as she said the words, the Slayer didn't want to believe them. Over and over again, the brief flash of the other girl's face changing into a vampire's true form played on, repeating without end.

"_What?_ What are you talking about?" _Tara is a vampire, Tara is a vampire, Tara is a vampire…_

"Tara is a vampire."

* * *

As she pushed open the doors to the Mansion, Tara could already hear the clock inside beginning to chime, signaling the time for all to hear. Almost slamming the heavy door shut behind her, the vampire knew that she had more than just cut her escape close. The first beams of the dawn had been on the horizon as her fingers had wrapped around the door-knob, and she swore that she had almost felt the heat rising across her back.

Her hand flicking in the direction of the fireplace, she barely even gave a sign that she had heard the fire instantly begin to roar inside the stonework. As her feet crossed the floor, she grabbed the Black Magick books from their place on the table and returned to the front of the fireplace. Flipping open the first book, she placed her hand on the pages and closed her eyes, the power contained within the spells shooting up through her hand and into her body.

Extending her hand out to the fire, the vampire almost smiled as she saw the result of the Black Magicks running through her undead veins. She was grateful now more than ever that Willow had brought her the books, considering how much she might need the power contained within their pages. Part of her no longer cared that the Slayer knew what she was, what she had become in the span of a few weeks. Willow wouldn't allow the girl to kill her that easily.

_Willow. _Every muscle in her body ached when he thought of how lifeless the red-head had looked as they had wheeled her away inside the E.R. The vampire had no doubt that the girl would live, she had heard the faint, but still steady, heart-beat inside the Witch's chest. She _would_ live. Clenching her fist around the flame, the vampire closed her eyes for a single second.

As the flames curled around her hand, she felt no pain, nor did her skin blister or begin to turn to dust. The magicks sustained her, letting her wield the element as her own. The flames morphing into a small ball, the vampire took a few steps back before unclenching her fist towards the fire from which the flames had come. As the ball shot out of her hand and towards the stonework, it impacted the logs and set them even further ablaze in an explosion of light.

* * *

"Buffy, do you realize how insane you sound right now?" Xander asked, his voice hushed in order to avoid drawing any unnecessary attention to himself or the other two Scoobies around him. "You're trying to say that Willow's girlfriend is a _vampire."_

"Xander, it's the truth. I saw the way her face changed."

"Are you completely sure though? This is serious. Willow isn't gonna be too crazy about the idea of us making with the stakey on Tara while she's out of it."

"Dead sure." Buffy answered, pausing for a moment as she realized the unintended pun she had made. "There's no doubt in my mind that Tara is the one that did this to her."

"And how exactly do we explain her bringing Willow here? If she wanted to kill her she would have just done it."

"He does raise an excellent point, Buffy. Vampire or not, Tara did bring Willow here when she saw how much she was in danger of dying." Removing his glasses, Giles continued to wipe the spotless lenses with the bottom of his shirt.

"Besides, how much do we know about what happened exactly? We've all seen Tara out and about in the Sun before, so that rules out her being a…" As a nurse passed by the group, the teenager hushed himself in order to avoid the risk of the woman overhearing him. "…vampire all this time."

"Willow started saying a few weeks ago that Tara was sick, so I'm going to go out on a limb and say sometime around then."

"So, that's only a few weeks time. Makes sense that we didn't see her for a long time after that."

"So, you're telling me that a vampire has been leaching off of her for weeks?" Unclenching her fist, Buffy closed her eyes for just a moment in order to prevent her anger from overtaking her mind. "Giles, please tell me I should go out, find her, and introduce her to Mr. Pointy."

"Considering what we've learned so far, I'm not sure that a frontal attack is the best option. Tara did show true concern about Willow's condition, and be that as it may that she was the one who put her there, that concern might be the best possible idea we have as to her mindset at the present."

"Excuse me." As one of the nurse's voices sounded out, the three Scoobies dropped the conversation as the possibility of news presented itself to them. "Are any of you here for Willow Rosenberg?"

"We are." Stepping forward, Giles removed his glasses from his face and again went about cleaning them. "I am her father."

"How is she?" Xander pressed, taking a step towards the nurse as he spoke.

"She's in a stable condition, but she did lose a lot of blood. If a…" Flipping over a page on her clipboard, the nurse's eyes scoured the page in a search for the appropriate name. "…Ms. Maclay hadn't brought her here as quickly as she did, she might not be alive at the moment."

"Can we see her?"

"She's not awake yet, but you can wait in her room. Please follow me." Turning on her heel, the woman led the Scoobies towards one of the nearby double-doors that stood between the waiting room and the Patient rooms. As they walked further down the hall, the three felt a small sense of relief in knowing that Willow was still alive.

* * *

"Can you tell us anything else?" Giles inquired, partially managing to resist the urge to clean his spotless glasses. "As you can see, we are all very concerned for her condition at the moment."

"Doctor Sanford should be in in just a moment, you should direct all your questions to him." Still checking the clipboard attached to the bed, the nurse tried her best not to be frustrated with the man standing behind her. If he truly was the girl's father, the concern he felt for her was undoubtedly genuine.

"Someone mention me?" As he entered the room, the Doctor continued to look down at the various pages that lay attached to clipboard. Already on her way out, the nurse handed her superior the remaining notes and was gone.

"Alright, Mr…Rosenberg, I understand that you're concerned about your daughter."

"We all are." Lifting her gaze from her friend, Buffy's face was utterly devoid of any emotion.

"Well, I'm happy to tell you that your daughter is in a stable condition, even despite the massive loss of blood from her system. " Finally looking up from the clipboard, Dr. Sanford's features were somewhat grim. "Can't say that I've ever seen anything like the wounds she sustained."

"What do you think is going to happen to her? Will she be able to pull through?"

"Personally, I think that you should consider yourself lucky. For a while, it was touch and go with her. I'm surprised that her system was able to take the blood we gave her."

"Meaning…?"

"There was barely _any _blood in your daughter' system, with the only marks to be seen being two small puncture marks on her neck. The IVs were barely able to bring her back to consciousness. She's lucky. Most wouldn't have made it out of a situation like that."

"Is she…is she going to live?" Xander asked, having remained largely silent from where he had been standing against the wall.

"At this point, I'm sure that she'll be fine, but that's all a mood point. Anything can change."

"Thanks for the boost of confidence, Doc." Xander mumbled underneath his breath, somewhat relieved when he failed to see a reaction from the Doctor.

"Personally, she should be awake in a day or two. She just needs rest at the moment. Until then, all you can do is wait, as useless as the suggestion may seem."

* * *

"Willow, nice to see you awake for a change." Her blurry eyes struggling to recognize who was talking to her, Willow felt her entire body erupt into a furious pain as she titled her head the slightest of inches. Much of the pain continued to pour out of the sore portion of her neck, the sharp pangs beginning to bring back memories.

"Xander?" She asked, her mind already having recognized the voice.

"Hey, Buf, wake up, she's awake." His blurry form shaking the girl beside him, Xander's gaze almost instantly returned to the red-head lying only a few feet away.

"Nice to see that everyone's here to see me." The joke had no emotion behind it, a product of the sharp pain she felt inside her skin. "What happened? How long have I been out?"

"Two or three days. As to what happened, we were kinda hoping you could tell us that, considering that your girlfriend is all vampy now."

"What do you mean?" Even as the words left her lips, Willow saw the images of Tara biting into her float into her vision.

"Willow, Tara…Tara is a vampire. Did she do this to you?" On her feet, Buffy crossed her arms across her chest.

"Yes, but it wasn't her fault. I couldn't bring her blood because I was sick. She was starving."

"Wait, Wills, how long has she been…you know, all fangy?"

"Weeks." Her vision finally beginning to clear, the red-head could see the numerous medical instruments that lay on either side of the bed, the sound of their beeping flooding her hearing. "Buffy…she's not evil."

"Willow, she's a vampire. You know how this works. That's not Tara, that's a demon using her body."

"No, she's good! She hasn't fed off of anyone besides me, and she only bit me because I let her. She's not evil, she's like Spike!"

"Oh god, you did not just use Spike as a comparison." Uncrossing her arms, the Slayer was barely able to believe what she was hearing.

"Buffy, please, just listen to me! Tara hasn't hurt anyone!"

"And yet you're still here, with two bite marks on your neck. Wills, I hate to say it, but I'm with Buffy on this one. The Doctor said you were almost completely drained of blood. They had to keep you rigged up in order to get your blood levels back." Shaking his head slightly, Xander hated seeing his oldest friend like this, trying to defend a vampire that she was in love with.

"She fed on me because she was hungry! That's not her fault, she didn't ask to be like this!" Sighing, the Slayer looked down at her friend, and frowned.

"Willow, I'm sorry, but I'm going after her."

"Oh, really?" As she spoke, Tara smiled as she saw every head within the room turn towards her. Walking fully into the room, the vampire watched as Buffy stepped around the chairs surrounding the red-head's bed, her expression instantly switching into her Slayer persona.

"Tara?" As she said the vampire's name, Willow's eyes lit up with a certain sense of happiness.

"I'm here, just like I promised."

"Xander, get out of here. Get Giles." Her gaze never once leaving the vampire, Buffy watched as the Demon continued to smile.

"Listen to her, won't you, Xander? I'm sure your sex-crazed girlfriend loves that you take your orders from another woman."

"Tara, will you listen to yourself?" Her eyes completely locked onto the vampire, the Slayer saw the girl lift her hand, the gesture seemingly harmless.

"Buffy…" Willow started before she was cut off by the other voices within the room.

"Don't give me that, Buffy. You think that I'm the evil one, don't you?" As she held her palm out in front of her, Tara resisted the urge to chuckle as the fireball appeared and began to hover over her hand, the flames striking out at an invisible target. "And you'd like everyone to believe that, wouldn't you? You could _never _do any wrong."

"I'm not the one who tried to kill my girlfriend, aren't I?"

"Ah, but it all comes down to _you_, doesn't it?" The vampire asked, the fireball continuing to hover above her palm at a steady pace. "Did you ask yourself why she was alone that night at the Bronze, sitting at the table staring into her drink? About why she was always so tired?"

As she took a step towards the other girl, Tara continued to smile, the effect almost spine-chilling. "It's all because of _you._ She dreamed of you, of you slaying me, of you hurting her because she lied to you. Were you there to comfort her while she whimpered in her sleep, like I was? Did you let her know that nothing was going to happen, like I did?"

"Buffy…" His feet already in motion, Xander stopped in his tracks as the fireball in Tara's hand started to lash out at him, the flames stopping only inches from his chest.

"Xander, get out of here!" Giving her order one last time, Buffy heard the vampire finally let out a laugh.

"Such a bossy Slayer, aren't you?"

"Tara, leave. We don't need you here." Her eyes catching sight of Giles as he approached the door, the Slayer held onto her ground, determined not to let the vampire stay alone in the same room with Willow.

"Buffy, I want her to stay. Leave." As she heard Willow's exhausted voice enter her head, Buffy finally broke her gaze away from Tara, and turned towards the red-head lying on the hospital bed.

"Willow, I'm not going to just let her stay here, alone with you. Do you realize what coul-"

"Resolve face." Her tired features shifting into the most serious face she could manage, Willow stared into her friend's face with as much defiance as she could possibly muster. "You know what it means. Get out."

"Willow…" Starting to voice his own argument, Xander fell under the same gaze that Buffy had received only moments before.

"Leave." Moving to the side in order to let the Slayer through, Tara closed her palm, extinguishing the fireball in a single moment. Giving one last look at her friend, Buffy left the room, closing the door behind her in the process.

"Tara…" Her words starting to fail her due to her exhausted state, Willow wrapped her arms around the vampire's back as she came and enveloped her in a hug.

"I thought I'd lost you." Kissing her lover's forehead, Tara felt the other girl rubbing her hand up and down her back.

"It's alright, I'm still here." Resting her head against the vampire's, the red-head smiled despite the pain still erupting inside her neck. "A little bit in pain, but here."

"What did they say to you?" Pulling away from the girl's embrace, the vampire's eyes flashed with a barely restrained rage. "Did they want to hurt me?"

"Buffy wants to stake you. She didn't understand when I tried to explain to her what had happened."

"I could already guess. She doesn't like being wrong, doesn't she?"

"Guess not." Continuing to look up at the other girl through her tired eyes, Willow leaned her head back into the pillow that had been propped up behind her. "Why am I so tired all of a sudden?"

"Too much excitement. Your resolve face takes a lot out of you."

"But I just woke up." Her eyelids starting to feel heavier and heavier by the minute, the girl found her vision starting to blur again. "I don't want to go back to sleep."

"Just rest, I'm not going anywhere…at least until sunrise." Entwining her fingers with Willow's, Tara smiled as she watched the other girl close her eyes, and minutes later fall into sleep.


	8. Shared Blood

**First off, I'm sorry about the wait in between updates. I've been busy with real life, plus I'm working on a novel-length story that I don't know when I will publish on here. So, for the next couple weeks, expect updates to be slow in coming. Mult-tasking as best I can. Also, this chapter is a bit shorter than I plan the chapters to be, but that's only because I've been a bit short on time, and I didn't want to keep you guys and gals waiting any longer.**

**As always, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or any of the other characters. They belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

"Ok, honestly, I'm majorly wigged at this." As she continued to pace around Giles' living room, Buffy could still feel every other set of eyes in the room staring at her. "Tara's a vampire, Willow's in the hospital because she decided to take a bite out of her, and you're telling me that I'm supposed to just sit around and do _nothing_ about this?"

"Buffy, I've given you my honest appraisal of the situation. It would be in our best interests to know exactly what it is that Tara is after."

"Well, after we all saw that little fireball trick she pulled in order to get us to leave the room, I'd say that she's in an angry mother bear mode right now. She wanted us to watch Willow since she couldn't be there during the day, and then it was like she wanted us out." Pushing himself back into his chair, Xander could feel the heaviness in his eyelids as he continued to watch his friend pace around the room.

"Which isn't something that she could do before, right?" Looking at Giles, Anya eyed the Watcher curiously. "There was no fireball throwing before?"

"Trust me, there was nothing like what we saw." Answering the former vengeance demon's question, Buffy stopped, her arms still folded across her chest. "She got into something. Have you ever seen something like that?"

"A few times, mainly in Witches affected by Black Magicks."

"Good lord, are you implying that Tara has been using Dark Magicks since she was sired?" His voice filling up with concern, Giles rose from his chair.

"Giles, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Tara having this fireball ability ups the challenge a little bit?"

"This isn't a laughing matter, Buffy. Dark Magicks are some of the most highly potent weapons that history has ever known." Turning around and heading towards his book-shelve, the Watcher spent a moment searching through the titles until he found the particular volume he was looking for. "Through the ages, there have been instances where Dark Magick was used to some effect, and it has always ended in complete and utter tragedy for both sides involved."

"Well, nice to know that we can look forward to a happy ending."

"Be serious, won't you?" As he flipped past numerous pages, Giles finally stopped as he arrived at a page showing a black-and-white woodcut. "This is an illustration depicting the Battle of Corecur. The battle ended with the complete and utter slaughter of both sides. Hundreds upon thousands died."

"And Black Magick caused all of it?"

"A single spell, and within seconds, the fields were doused in blankets of blood." As she looked further at the page, Buffy finally felt the realization of what they were facing truly sink in.

"So, how do we stop her from using it again? Counter it with another spell?"

"You can try to fight Magick with Magick, it's been attempted throughout the centuries, but it's an unpredictable tactic. No-one can say what will be the outcome if we are to attempt such a thing."

"He does have a point." Butting into the conversation, Anya's face beamed with a smile. "Can't have you putting Xander at risk of being burned to a nice, black crisp."

"Thanks for the boost of confidence."

* * *

As the vampire continued to run her fingers through her red hair, Willow sighed in subdued happiness. Her body still felt numb through every muscle, but knowing that Tara was here somehow made her forget about the wound on her neck for the first time all day. Smiling, the red-head felt the vampire's fingers drift down to her cheeks.

"Enjoying yourself?"

"I love Tarahand." Smiling as she leaned her head fully into the girl's hand, the Witch felt the vampire's other hand beginning to trace patterns on the un-bandaged side of her neck.

"You do know that I'm sorry, right?"

"About what?" Fully occupied with the hand she was pressing her cheek into, Willow's mind was seemingly oblivious to the look the vampire was giving her.

"About biting you. I was…I was so hungry that I couldn't control myself."

"Tare, I forgive you." Opening her eyes and staring up at the blonde girl, the red-head smiled. "It wasn't your fault.

"Why are you so good to me?"

"Because…I'm yours, and you're mine." Still playing with the girl's hand on her cheek, Willow continued to smile.

"Willow, sweetie, I want you to drink some of my blood." As she heard the vampire's request, the red-head's eyes grew wide with a combination of shock and slight fear.

"You want me to do _what?"_

"It'll make you heal faster. They mentioned it in one of the books we have." Her fingers pushing some of the red-head's hair out of her eyes, the vampire smiled at her girl's reaction. "You'll get better."

"But y-you want me to d-d-drink your blood? I mean, I understand why you want me to get better, considering that you've been doing nothing during the day except waiting for me, and…oh…" As she babbled on, Willow saw the vampire bite down on her palm. A small but steady stream of blood starting to pool on her skin, Tara held it out for the other girl to drink.

"Just close your eyes and drink. You'll get better, I promise."

"Tara…I can't…." Hesitating, the red-head pushed herself farther into the bed beneath her.

"Honey, please, just do this for me." Hesitantly obeying the vampire's near order, the Witch pulled Tara's blood-stained palm towards her and pressed her lips against the small pool of blood after a moment's worth of hesistation. Opening her lips slightly, she nearly cringed as the copper taste of blood first landed on her tongue. Her mind repulsed, she thought about pushing the palm away, but she felt Tara's hand gently pressed down on the back of her head.

"Swallow it." The copper taste continuing to stain her mouth, Willow finally swallowed the liquid, the taste spreading out and covering every inch of her mouth as it flowed down her throat. The taste was one of the strongest she had ever experienced…and yet, there was a certain sweetness to it the more she drank. It was like sugar in some regards, only colder and in a liquid form. The more she drank of it, the more she wanted, as strange as the entire thought was to her. As she sucked on the wound, she continued to feel Tara's fingers gently playing with her hair. Looking down at the girl, the vampire smiled.

"Alright, that's enough." Pulling her blood stained palm away, she heard the red-head whimper slightly. "You'll get sick you have too much of it in one sitting." As she wiped the blood from her lips, Willow could already see the wound on the vampire's palm starting to heal.

"Are you sure about this? I don't feel any differently." _Apart from wanting more of her blood…oh, god is that weird..._

"Give it a few minutes." As if on cue, the red-head felt her body beginning to feel somewhat different. In a way, she felt more awake than she had been in hours. Sighing a somewhat blissful way, she heard Tara chuckling slightly. "Or a few seconds."

"Is this normal?" Looking around the room as if it was the first time she had truly seen her surroundings, the Witch felt the vampire's fingers again moving through her hair.

"From what I've read, it is. You should be out of here within the next few days if you keep drinking more of it. The effects should wear off in a few hours, but it'll help you heal faster."

"Which is when you should leave." Looking away from each other, Willow and Tara could see Buffy standing in the doorway, her arms crossed across her chest in a display of authority. "Can't have you burning to a crisp, can we?"

"Buffy, Buffy, Buffy. I was wondering when you'd show up again. 'Bout time to switch shifts, isn't it? Time to pump more stories about how I'm evil into Willow's brain?"

"Tara, don't start with me." Her voice almost a growl, the Slayer took a step into the room, the stake tucked into the back of jeans poking slightly through her shirt. "I'm not here to fight with you."

"Aww, but I'd _love_ to fight you."

"Tara…" Reaching out and grabbing the vampire's palm, Willow looked up at her with a concerned look upon her face. "Please, don't."

"I'm not going to start anything, Wills." Taking a seat in a nearby chair, Buffy leaned back into the piece in order to fully observe the room. "Not unless _she_ does."

"Do we really need to go through this again?" Raising her free hand, the vampire smiled as a fireball began to form once again above her.

"Tara, please, stop." The fireball continued to hover for a moment before the blonde finally closed her eyes and the ball disappeared back into the air from whence it came.

"What time is it?" She asked the Slayer across the room without opening eyes.

"Almost four o'clock. You've got an hour before the sun starts to rise." Frowning, the vampire turned back to the red-head lying on the bed at her side.

"I've got to go, sweetie. I'll be back tomorrow night, I promise." Giving the girl a peck on the cheek, Tara walked out the door, avoiding giving the Slayer even the faintest of glances.

"What did she do to you, Willow?" Pushing herself out of her chair, Buffy made her way to the side of the girl's bed in short order.

"Nothing, Buffy. Calm down." As she spoke to her friend, Willow's voice seemingly had a thinly hidden tone of annoyance to it. "I thought we already went over this."

"Wills, I'm not sure you're getting what exactly is going on. Those fireballs that Tara keeps pulling out? They're born from Dark Magicks."

"I know. I'm the one who brought the books to her."

"You did _what?" _Almost entirely unable to believe what she was hearing, the Slayer found herself starting to clench and unclench her fists in rapid succession. "Willow, are you _insane?!"_

"She wanted to protect me. That's why she wanted them."

"Did she put you under some sort of thrall?" Waving her hand in front of the other girl's eyes, Buffy's eyes grew large as the red-head grabbed her by the wrist.

"No, Buffy, _stop_." As she relinquished her grip on the Slayer's arm, Willow turned onto her side. "I'm going back to sleep."

"Is this really how you're going to deal with this, Wills?" Almost running around the side of the bed, Buffy found the red-head scowling at her. "You're just going to ignore all of us, except Tara?"

"Why not?"

"Can you hear yourself?!" Unable to stop her voice from raising in volume, the blonde knew that some of the Medical Personnel outside were stopping in order to look into the room. "Willow, you don't get it. That's not Tara! Don't you remember? When someone is turned into a vampire, a Demon takes over the place of a person's soul!"

"It's not true. You and Giles were lying to me. That's Tara, I can tell." Closing her eyes, the girl found her tongue actually searching its way around her mouth in order to find any stray trace of the vampire's blood.

"Willow, no it's not. Why would we lie to you? That doesn't make any sense."

"Just go away. I'm tired." Her eyes still closed, Willow heard a pair of footsteps leaving the room, eventually disappearing into the massive amount of sound leaking into the room from the connecting hallway.

* * *

_The fire was back, burning all around her with an intensified heat that defied any description. And yet, none of it hurt as it touched her hands, her legs, her neck, her clothes. It passed over her much like water would in the shower, completely and utterly harmless. She felt more in control than she had ever been before in her life. Power was literally coursing through her veins, and it felt good._

_"Does it feel better than you expected?" Turning, Willow could see Tara making her way through the flames, the orange-yellow element bouncing harmlessly off of her. She seemed different, her hair and eyes having morphed into a pure black color that swallowed any other shade whole. _

_"Yes." The word left her lips without so much as a single shred of doubt. _

_"Good, I was hoping that it would." _

_"Tara, baby, I feel _alive."

_"Even better. It makes up for your heart having stopped." Looking down at a clumped mess of clothing that she held in her hand, the vampire smiled at her mate. "I brought you a present."_

_"Oh, goody." Returning the smile, Willow could feel a certain sensation ripping through her stomach, the feeling infecting every inch of her insides. It fought with the Power for control of her mind and body, the soul seemingly having vanished. "I love presents."_

_"You'll love this one." Dropping the lump she held in her hands, the vampire pushed the body towards the other girl with her foot. The girl herself was quite dead, her blonde hair falling in locks around her face. _

"_Buffy?"_

"_I thought that since all those dreams involved you being attacked by her, you'd want to have some fun with her." As the blonde stirred at her feet, Tara continued to smile. "Go on, she's awake."_

"_Willow?" Shaking her head slightly as her vision continued to remain blurred, Buffy looked up at the red-head standing above her._

"_Hello, Buffy." Her face breaking into a smile, Willow felt the change come over her face in the process. "Let's have fun."_

* * *

"How is she?" As he saw Buffy enter the apartment, Xander threw down the magazine he had been skimming through.

"You mean mentally or physically?" Plopping herself down into a nearby chair, Buffy closed her eyes.

"Both."

"Ok, cryptic meaning aside, how is she?" As he waited for the Slayer's answer, the teenager could see the conflict continuing to brew on the girl's face. "Tara?"

"Who else would be there at night?" Opening her eyes, Buffy leaned herself fully back into the comfort of the chair. "She made Willow drink some of her blood. I could see it on her lips."

"So, she's trying to make Willow a vampire? And she couldn't just do that the night she almost drained her?"

"I don't know what she's planning, but trust me, _sooo _not liking it."

"I get where you're coming from on that." Folding his hands in his lap, Xander looked up at the girl as her face became awash with a mixture of concern and slight exhaustion. "Buff, why don't you go home? Get some sleep. I'll go see Willow later today."

"No, it's fine. I'm fine. Just a still wigged over the thought of Willow drinking Tara's blood."

"Just go home and sleep. You're not fooling anyone. All anyone has to do is look at your eyes and see that you're exhausting yourself."

"Xander –"

"No excuses. Just get some rest."

"Alright. Since when do you get so pushy?" Getting back onto her feet, Buffy gave a wave at the other teenager before she began to make her way towards the door. As he watched her, Xander closed his own eyes and fell fully back into the couch behind him.


	9. Release

**Oh, man, LONG time without an update. Sorry to keep anyone waiting, hope you enjoy! :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or any of the other characters. They belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. **

* * *

**Chapter 8**

"Tara!" As she watched the vampire move through the doorway, Willow's face broke out in to a wide smile.

"Hello sweetie." Unable to stop herself from returning the red-head's smile, Tara's lips broke out into a grin. "Miss me?"

"Uh-huh." Her hands rising up from the white sheets they had lain dormant under, Willow held them out as she waited for the vampire to embrace her. Wrapping her arms around the red-head's body, Tara smiled as she saw that the bandage that had been covering the girl's bite-marks had been removed, and exposed a scar that was coming close to completely healing, or as close as it would be able to.

"Did the Doctors say anything about the bite?"

"They said that it's healing faster than they expected it to. Probably something to do with the blood you gave me." Smiling, Willow buried her face into the vampire's shoulder. "I missed you."

"You just can't stand to be away from me, can you?"

"Nope." Her smile beaming proudly, Willow stared back at the other girl.

"I think I found a way to show Buffy and the others that you're mine." Smiling slightly, the vampire looked down at the red-head with a certain dancing quality in her eyes.

"How?"

"I can mark you." As she stared back at the vampire with her green eyes, Willow furrowed her brow slightly.

"What?"

"I found it in one of the books we have. Vampires can mark others as their mates. It serves as a way to protect them from other demons and those who know about the meaning behind the mark itself."

"H-How would you put it on me?"

"Using these." Opening her mouth and pointing to her fangs, Tara saw a slight moment of fear pass through the red-head's eyes. "It's alright, it won't hurt for more than a second. You never have to worry about me hurting you."

There was a moment of silence in the room before the other girl finally nodded slowly and found the words to speak.

"Alright." Sitting down gently onto the edge of the bed, Tara's face changed into that of its true form. Closing her eyes, Willow opened them again to find her vision overwhelmed by the other girl's blonde hair. As her fangs scrapped along the red-head's skin, Tara felt a small amount of blood enter her mouth and splash against her tongue. Underneath her grip, Willow whimpered slightly as a sharp amount of pain flowed through her system and then was gone as quickly as it had arrived. Withdrawing the tips of her fangs from her newly marked mate's neck, the blonde vampire moved her hand over the mark and smiled.

"There. All done."

"It hurt a little less than I expected." Leaning back into the bed beneath her, Willow hissed a little bit as her hand flew to the new mark on her neck.

"It still might burn a little bit." Frowning, the vampire pressed her lips against the mark and gave it a gentle kiss. As she felt the cold sensation of Tara's lips on her newly marked neck, the red-head whimpered again slightly before the burning feeling on her neck began to disappear. As she pulled her head back, the vampire laid her head against the other girl's shoulder. "Did I make it better?"

"A little." Smiling with a child-like joy dancing across her face, Willow smiled. "Maybe if you kissed me some more…"

"You have to take your medicine first." Looking down at her palm, Tara brought her hand up to her mouth and bit down on the limb with her fangs. Pulling away just before some of the blood entered her mouth, the vampire presented it to the red-head. "You'll feel better."

"Aww, no kisses for me?"

"_After_ you drink the blood." Saying the sentence as if she were a concerned parent, Tara held her bleeding palm closer to the red-head's mouth. Rolling her eyes, Willow took the limb into her hand and pressed the palm against her mouth. As the blood flowed down her throat, the copper taste staining every inch of her mouth, the Witch felt her stomach becoming just a little queasy, but she managed to keep the liquid inside of her.

Minutes passed before Tara finally pulled the limb away from Willow's mouth, causing the girl to look up at her with anticipation lining her eyes.

"Kisses now?" Willow asked, smiling slightly as she continued to stare at the vampire, her lips reddened with portions of the blood that she had drank only seconds before.

"You just can't wait, can you?" Using the bottom of her pants in order to clean off the remnants of blood on her palm, the vampire looked up in time to see the other girl licking off a portion of her lips. Chuckling slightly, Tara reached out and pressed her index finger against one of the blood stains. "You've got a little something on your lip."

"Can you get it off for me?" Pouting, the red-head watched as the vampire moved her finger back to her side. "Pretty please?"

"Does the poor baby need help?" Returning the pout, Tara's voice dropped slightly lower in pitch as she spoke. "Can't clean off her own lips?"

"Nope, I need help." Sarcastically answering the other girl, Willow closed her eyes as she saw Tara lean in closer in order to kiss her.

* * *

"Willow, did you let her bite you _again?" _As she stared at the slightly hidden mark on the other girl's neck, Buffy narrowed her eyes in an expression of anger and shock.

"She marked me." Pushing aside the strands of red-hair covering Tara's mark, Willow let the Slayer look at the still slightly sore area. "I'm her mate."

"Wait-You're her _what_?" Still staring back at the other girl, Buffy's thoughts flew to the scar on her own neck, from when Angel had nearly drained almost a year ago. His fangs had left their mark on her skin, causing a scar to form that would most likely never go away. Even with her advanced healing abilities, it still had yet to disappear.

"The mark means I'm her mate."

"Where did she learn this?"

"In one of our books." As she waited for the other girl to answer her, Willow reached over and took one of the glasses sitting on the nearby table. "She said it would help keep me safe."

"Willow, I'm not sure you're getting what's happening here. Something is using her body to toy with you. That's not Tara, the soul isn't there. Don't you remember that? Giles must have told us that a million times when Angelus was here. No soul equals no person."

"She's there, Buffy, I've seen her. Maybe…maybe Giles was wrong." Holding the glass in her lap, Willow frowned. "Maybe we've all been wrong all along."

"I'm not hearing this." Turning around, Buffy sighed. "Willow, I need to go."

"Fine, bye." Saying the farewell with only a moment's attention, Willow leaned back into her bed, her fingers gently touching the mark on her neck. "Have fun."

* * *

As she stormed through the door to the flat, Buffy kept her fits curled, which were the only things keeping her from destroying the closest piece of furniture she came into contact with. Looking up from the book he had been absorbing, Giles could already see how angry his Slayer was.

"Buffy?"

"Giles, Tara's starting to go too far."

"How so?" Setting the book down onto the nearby end-table, the Watcher pushed his glasses back into their proper place.

"She marked Willow as a mate."

"She did _what?"_ A small wave of shock flowing through his system, Giles got back onto his feet. "Good lord."

"So, can I stake her now? Because trust me, I'd really be more than happy to."

"Something tells me that you're not entirely upset about this one isolated incident." Looking at the Slayer standing a few feet away from him, the Englishman waited for an answer. "What's troubling you?"

"Nothing, just something about marking someone as a mate…gives me the wiggins." As if on cue, the scar on her neck itched slightly. Resting her hand against the mark, Buffy's gaze never once left her Watcher. "I'm fine, really. I just want Willow to realize what Tara is doing to her."

"Are you sure that's the entire reason then?"

"Yep, yep, sure." Shaking her head up and down, Buffy turned away and directed her attention to one of the nearby books sitting on the table. "We need to find out if Tara's put her under some kind of thrall, I mean, that's possible right? Dracula did the same thing to me."

"Buffy-"

"I mean, cause, come on, vampires like to make with the thrally thing. If she can do that, I can make with the Slaying."

"Buffy-"

"Giles, come on, we need to do something!"

"Buffy!" Finally raising his voice in order to gain the Slayer's attention, Giles took a deep breath before continuing. "I've been doing research on the matter, and I…I'm beginning to think that there might be more weight to the situation that Willow has described to us than we previously thought."

"What?! Are you insane? You've told me that a million times, no soul equals vampire with a blood fixation." Unable to believe that she had heard this idea twice within the span of only a few hours, the blonde Slayer made her way around the man until she was standing in the middle of the living room. "Come on, tell me to make with Slaying."

"I seem to be getting the feeling that there's more to how you feel about this…" Eying the girl, Giles' mind continued to come up with ideas of what could be bothering his Slayer. "It can't simply be because of what Tara has become."

"You're saying I need_ more_ reasons? Giles, this is insane, ok, we're into insane land right now."

"I'm afraid that we might not be in such a place. Buffy, understand that the chances of error are always there. Numerous people have made errors across history, but it is possible to learn from them."

"No, no, no, I'm not hearing this." Storming away towards the door, Buffy's expression only showed the anger she was feeling inside. "I'm beginning to think that maybe Tara put you under a thrall as well."

* * *

Continuing on her path through the cemetery, Buffy gripped the stake in her hand just a little tighter. There had hardly been any vamp activity for the past two or three nights, and the Hellmouth itself seemed to be relatively calm, as strange as the idea seemed. Everything that surrounded both Willow and Tara weighed heavy on the Slayer's mind. The very thought that Willow's quiet girlfriend had been turned into a soulless creature, the same thing that Buffy had been slaying for almost three years now, un-nerved the Slayer. It reminded her of just how things could work on top of the Hellmouth.

"Enjoying your walk?" Turning on her heel, stake raised, Buffy could see Tara sitting atop a nearby tombstone, her blue eyes staring at through the dark.

"Tara…"

"That's me. How are you, Buffy? Did you enjoy seeing Willow today? She told me how happy you were to find my little love mark."

"Alright, you know what, I'm drawing the line. You can get away with almost draining her, you can get away with doing some Black Magick fireball thingy, but the minute you start leaving scars on her, that's it."

"Does it hurt?" Seemingly ignoring what the other girl had said, Tara looked down at her nails for a moment before returning her gaze to the Slayer.

"What?"

"Does it hurt? To know that your precious Angel marked you as a mate, and then left you?"

"Don't bring him into this."

"And I know what you're probably thinking right about now." Pushing herself off of the tombstone, Tara slowly started towards where the Slayer was standing. "I marked Willow just to hurt you. But that's not it. I did it because I _love_ her."

"You're not capable of love."

"Is that what you tell yourself at night so that it doesn't hurt you as much?" Rolling her eyes, the vampire resisted the urge to smile as she saw the effect her words were having on the other girl. "Because that makes things a lot easier for you, doesn't it? Knowing that he willingly walked away, after everything that happened between you. You gave him your virginity, and in turn, he tried to destroy the world. Even trade, isn't it?"

"Tara-"

"But then again, that's not the problem, is it? It's the fact that he's carved out a new life for himself, isn't it? One that doesn't involve you at all. Hurts to know that someone who told you that you were the only one he ever loved could just act like you weren't there."

"Tara, I'm warning you." Raising the stake she held in her hand higher, Buffy already knew that if needed, she could stake the vampire, no matter what kind of damage it would inflict on Willow.

"Don't fool yourself, you couldn't do it. Imagine what Willow would say if she found out I was nothing more than dust."

"She'd get over it."

"Would she? I wonder…" Unknowingly taking a step back as the vampire came near her, Buffy heard something similar to a chuckle float into the air from the vampire's mouth.

"Buffy, Buffy, Buffy. I think I know what your problem with all of this is." Stopping only a few feet from the Slayer, Tara continued to smile. _"Power._ I've got more of it than you do now, and you don't like it, do you? After all those years of being in charge, of having all the power while everyone else beneath you has to sit back and do nothing about it, you don't like having some competition, or even thinking about the idea that maybe you're not as powerful as you thought you were."

"Tara-"

"I'm not done yet." Taking a step closer to the Slayer, Tara made a tisking sound as she stared into the other girl's eyes. "Gotta ask, did you ever think that he would change you? Make you young and powerful forever? Cause, I gotta tell ya, it's great having all of this power at your hands. Makes you feel powerful, like nothing can touch you."

"No, I never did. Because I knew what would happen if I ever tried that. He wouldn't put me through that."

"Because he didn't _want_ you, Buffy, don't you see that?" Laughing again, the vampire turned away and returned to the tombstone that she had been sitting upon minutes earlier. "Otherwise he would have stayed, soul be damned."

"Tara, you know nothing of what happened between the two of us, so why don't you stop, and go back to wherever the hell it is that you hide from us."

"I could do that, but you know I'll be back tomorrow night. Gotta have my nightly visit with my girl." Scotching herself off of the tombstone, the vampire seemingly disappeared in-between the endless array of tombstones. "See ya later, Buffy."

Finding herself standing alone in the graveyard once more, Buffy tossed her stake up into the air and caught it, her grip almost causing the weapon to splinter in her hand.

* * *

"Hi, um, I'm here to see Willow Rosenberg." Giving a small wave to the nurse as she managed to gain her attention, Buffy smiled slightly. "I think that her room might have been changed, cause I went to the one where she was last time I was here, and it's kinda empty."

"Let me check the records." Turning her chair towards the running PC next to her , the nurse's eyes flew over the list of names recorded on the skin. Waiting somewhat patiently, Buffy tapped her fingers against the counter-top, creating a slight rhythm to the way her fingers connected with the material.

"I'm sorry, but Willow Rosenberg was released last night." Her attention coming back to the blonde girl, the nurse shrugged her shoulders slightly. "So, I'm afraid you'll have to find where she is outside."

"What? What do you mean she was released?"

"Doctor Sanford released her a few hours ago. A Ms.…Tara Maclay signed for her release." Folding her fingers together, the woman rested her chin onto them. "Sorry, can't help you."

"…Alright, thanks." Turning away as she headed for the exit, Buffy's thoughts flew towards where both Willow and Tara could be at that moment. Considering that the sun was in full command of the sky outside, it was unlikely that the two of them were outside having a picnic. And yet, considering how large Sunnydale really was, that didn't limit the possible options down to a reasonable search range.

It was going to be a long day.

* * *

"You look happier." As she emerged back into the living room, Tara smiled as she handed a filled glass to the red-head calmly sitting on the couch near the roaring fire.

"Trust me, getting out of the hospital, big plus there." Rolling her eyes sarcastically, Willow eagerly took the offered glass and pressed it to her lips. "Drinks and food are definitely better over here than in there."

"I'm just glad to have you back, sweetie." As she laid down onto the couch beside the red-head, Tara's smile only grew larger. "I was lonely."

"Can't have Tara being lonely, can we?" Setting the glass onto the table in front of her, Willow returned the other girl's smile. "We can fix that though."

"Can we?" Her smile becoming somewhat lopsided, the vampire moved closer to the other girl's side, her fingers coming to rest on the red-head's knee. "I hope so…"

"I _know_ so." Leaning down, the red-headed Witch pressed her lips against Tara's, her tongue almost immediately begging for entry into the other girl's mouth. Linking her arms around the Witch's neck, the vampire tried her best to smile with Willow's tongue still half-way in her mouth. Her tongue meeting the red-head's halfway, Tara felt Willow falling back onto the couch beneath the two of them, her attention never once leaving the kiss the two of them were engaged in. Nuzzling her lips into the other girl's neck, the vampire felt the other girl move slightly, the reaction one of pain.

"Ow, easy! My neck's still kinda tender." As she moved her head away from where the vampire had been attentively kissing her, Willow pouted slightly. "No love bites please."

"But I like giving you love bites." Her lips morphing into a pout, Tara's fingers continued to play with the button of the red-head's jeans.

"Just hold off on them for a while." Giving the vampire a kiss on her forehead, Willow smiled. "Pretty please?"

"Oh, alright. I'll work my way around then." Resuming her kissing, Tara pressed her lips against the lower portion of the other girl's neck. Closing her eyes once more, Willow melted back into the couch beneath her as the vampire's lips continued to lay kisses on her exposed skin.

"Better?"

"Did I say you could stop?" Pressing the other girl's head back against her neck, Willow groaned slightly.

"Somebody's being demanding tonight." Her cold fingertips still toying with the red-head's jeans, Tara smiled as she felt the other girl's hand guide her fingers into her jeans. Pressing her lips against the other girl's belly-button, the vampire chuckled slightly as she heard and felt her girl shutter underneath her lips' touch. "I guess this could be your welcome home present…"

Smiling again, Tara saw Willow's green eyes meet her gaze. "Is that what you want?"

Finding herself unable to properly reply to her girl's question, the red-head simply nodded. Her skin was nearly on fire from having the vampire's touch on her, and her senses began to silently beg for more.

"But I don't know if you were good…" Smiling slyly, Tara moved her fingers off of the other girl's skin for a moment, causing the red-head to whimper. Her smile only growing from hearing the girl make the sound, the vampire pressed her fingertips back over Willow's bare-stomach. "You could have done _anything_ while I wasn't there with you during the day."

"Tara…" Breathing out the other girl's name again, Willow felt the vampire's lips meet her belly-button once more. "Goddess, stop doing that…"

"I need an answer…are you going to be a good girl for me?"

"Yes, yes, I'll be good! Stop teasing me!" Her fingers flying down to the button of her jeans, the red-head unbuttoned the article. "Tara, _please…"_

"Alright, if you're going to be a good girl…" Her free hand moving up from the other girl's thigh, the vampire smiled. "I guess I'll give you your present."

* * *

"When's Tara coming back?" Looking up from her bowl of cereal, Dawn saw Buffy hesitate as she heard the Witch's name said aloud. "She can't be sick anymore, it's been like, three or five weeks."

"Dawn…Tara's not coming back."

"Why not?" Setting the spoon down into the bowl, the younger Summers girl waited for an answer. Closing her eyes for a minute, Buffy sighed before letting the statement fall from her lips.

"She's a vampire."

"What?..." Staring back at her sister, Dawn's mind found it almost impossible to accept what was coming out of the other girl's mouth. "Buffy, you…you can't be serious…"

"Dawn, I'm not joking. This isn't something that's joke material. The night Willow was at the hospital? Tara put her there."

"But…Tara's still…Tara, right?" Getting out of her seat, the younger girl's voice was filled to the brim with disbelief. "She didn't try to hurt Willow on purpose, I mean, she couldn't do that. They're in love and stuff."

Seeing her older sister only staring back at her, Dawn waited impatiently for an answer. "Right?"

"Dawn, I don't think Willow knows what she's doing with Tara right now." Taking a step toward where her younger sister was standing, Buffy's eyes held nothing but seriousness. "Willow was letting Tara bite her, as a way to feed her. That's how she almost died at the hospital. Tara nearly drained her."

"But she didn't do that on purpose, right? I mean, it's Tara, and Tara wouldn't hurt Willow."

"Tara's not herself." Sighing, Buffy rubbed her eyes. "Why am I the only one that remembers this from the rulebook? No soul equals pure demon, and that means that the Tara we know isn't in there anymore."

"But why is Willow still with her, and letting her feed off of her and stuff if she's not there?"

"Willow's not thinking straight. She thinks that Tara's still in there." _And she's not. Tara's done something to her…_

"Well, maybe the rule book was wrong, and ….oh, I know, maybe because Tara's a witch, her soul's still inside her!" As excitement sunk into her voice, Dawn's expression lightened somewhat, causing her sister to sigh.

"Dawnie, just go back to what you were doing. I need to go talk to Giles." Giving her younger sister a small wave as she left the room, the Slayer shoved her hands back into her pockets as she headed for the door. _Again, only one here remembering the rule book…_


End file.
